Love
by StarCannon
Summary: Clark is a guy just trying to make his way through Met U. But when his life suddenly collides with Lana’s, a forbidden love blossoms. They can only hide for so long before they must decide: leave their love behind or sacrifice everything to keep it.
1. Prologue

Notes: This is an AU obviously, but Clark is still Kryptonian and still has his powers.

I started writing this as soon as my junior year (aka year from hell!) ended and have been at it since then. It's gotten quite long - longer than I expected - so I've just decided to start posting. However, the updates probably won't be as frequent as my last few fics because of this. So, sorry in advance.

Anyway, feel free to ask questions if you're confused. They help me make sure I'm connecting everything alright. And please give all the helpful feedback you can!

Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry this intro-like part is short. The rest of the updates will be much longer, I promise you this.

* * *

Love. For the longest time I don't think I ever really knew the true meaning of that word. I knew it existed. I knew it could be so painful, yet also so beautiful. I wished for it. Longed for it. I just wasn't completely sure just how much it had in store for me.

The entirety of my young life was spent building a wall. While my friends spent their days chasing after girls, I stayed at home. Studying. My parents had urged me to get out there sometimes, once even suggesting I have a party on the Kent farm one day. And yes, girls flirted and asked me to go to a dance or to a movie, but I always turned the offers down. The cement of my wall was the belief that if I didn't acknowledge love, it wouldn't come to me.

By the time I was in college, my heart was sealed away completely. I simply continued to tell myself that love would only hurt me as well as the girl. But that didn't mean I didn't get uncomfortable around my college buddies or the hooker-looking women they hung out with. Sometimes I had moments of weakness…when I wished that maybe…somehow…an alien could have love. But I didn't even know if that was possible. And by college, I was sure that it wasn't. I was meant to be alone in this world. Alone. Saving everyone but myself.

Fortunately, something happened. My heart was hidden, but not without feeling. Something happened to me on my twenty first birthday that would change everything. It would test me and teach me. I would learn what love truly was. That love stretches out to touch all living things…even lonely, jaded aliens.

This event altered so much in me that I decided to share it with others. So that maybe someone will come across my words, and be inspired enough to see love of their own.

So this is it. My story, my life…my love.

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

May 13th, my birthday, had always passed quietly. Even when I was a kid, the whole day consisted of a small cake, a mild supply of presents from my parents, and a wish as I blew out the candles. No parties…no real partying at all. And now that I was a college student, with finals in the next few days, my birthday had dwindled down to my parent's annual phone call and non-stop studying.

I never minded though. I couldn't miss what I never had.

Unfortunately, my friends hardly understood that.

Every year, they pleaded with me to go to a bar with them. Up until my twenty-first birthday I had the obvious excuse of "I can't get in. I'm too young." 

But this year, as all the friends knew, was different. And it was as though they'd planned the whole crazy idea in all the years previous...which I'm pretty sure they had.

At around eleven 'o clock at night, Pete came at me from behind and blindfolded me at the computer. I protested, but within fifteen minutes, he was shouting "Have fun!" from the sidewalk of our residence hall while Tucker and Andrew, his partners in crime, sped off down the road, as I sat blinded, clueless and nervous in the back seat.

"We're going to a bar aren't we?"

"Relax, Clark. Seriously."

"I don't want to go to a bar, guys. Did I not make that clear?"

"Calm down. We're just…uh…picking up you're ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, man," Tucker admitted, before bursting into a quiet laughter that I could still hear.

I sighed in disappointment. Not only was I being dragged out to a place where I was sure I would stick out like a sore thumb, but I was pretty much guaranteed to not even get a chocolatey reward for succumbing to the ridiculous club adventure. Damn…and ice cream cake had sounded REALLY good…

"Here it is! Dude, you're gonna love it here. It might sound a little intimidating at first, but TRUST ME – it's so f'ing worth it. Some of the best nights of my life were made here," Andrew said in a voice that didn't help my nerves feel any better.

As soon as I got out of the car, the blindfold came off and I was standing on the sidewalk of Main St. in downtown Metropolis. Directly in front of me was a massive, silvery colored building that seemed very modern and retro. Lots of neon beer signs in the two big display windows on the either side of the double doors, and hanging over it all was a large, glowing purple sign:

The Pulse

Coincidentally, mine began to quicken the closer we got to the entrance. I wasn't even inside yet and already I knew The Pulse was full of everything I wasn't.

As soon as the large bouncer outside let us in, my mind was thrust into a state of what I can only describe as wild insanity. The walls curved and dipped around, adding to the modern/retro feel. People hovered around the large bar to the left which held hundreds of oddly colored liquids and sly bartenders. Disco balls were glowing, the song "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" by Artic Monkeys was pumping…I felt like a kid who had never played with a toy, walking into a toy store for the first time.

"It's this great!" Andrew shouted over the bass and mumbling of other conversations.

"Um…yeah!" I answered, although my eyebrows were screwed into a questionable, distasteful look.

"This is just the beginning, dude! Wait until the live music starts!" Tucker promised as he already began to head bang to the beat of the drums through the speakers.

"Oh yeah! What do we do until then!" I really hoped they hadn't bought me a hooker or something. Just the loud music and crazy atmosphere was enough to put me into a very uncomfortable place.

"Dance with chicks! What else!"

I sighed, trying to pretend like the butterflies in my stomach didn't exist when Andrew winked at a table of girls a few feet away from us. All of them had very short skirts and very sexy smiles.

"Look, I think I'm just gonna sit down for a while and scope the place out from there or something!" I informed my friends, who didn't seem to listen or care about what I'd said.

"Um? Oh, yeah. Uh, the owner hooked you up with a booth near the front of the stage, right there! We mentioned it was gonna be your birthday last time we were here!" Tucker said with a sneaky grin.

I knew that grin meant there was something he wasn't telling me, but before I could even ask what it was, he and Andrew were off with their new girl friends onto the dance floor. Feeling too much like an antelope in a cage full of female cheetahs, I hustled off to the booth Tucker had pointed out.

'That's right…don't look at their faces…no eye contact…' I felt the stares of a thousand hungry beasts before I finally reached my refuge of a small, but private-ish booth off to the side of the dance floor.

There I stayed for what felt like hours. I rolled a small, metallic-looking centerpiece from the table in my hands for a few minutes, ordered a small drink of nothing too strong and then rolled the empty glass in my hands for a while. Bored. Tired. Uncomfortable.

I wanted nothing more than to go home, and probably would have done so if it wasn't for one thing.

A voice. A voice in the back of my mind…encouraging me to stay…

I don't remember why I listened to it. Maybe because I realized I was now a twenty-one-year-old guy with hardly any experience with girls or night clubs and that shame won out. Maybe because I didn't really have anything to lose. Maybe it was some kind of psychic, foreseeing ability that I didn't know I'd had.

Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to get me to stay. And it was what allowed the first domino to fall and start the rest of my entire life.


	3. Chapter 2

At the same time I was reluctantly sitting in that large, red leather booth, someone else was in that very same night club feeling just as bored as I had become. A young girl. Twenty two years of age. Fresh. Bright. On the outside, she seemed absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, like many other girls, her perfection was only skin deep. Inside, she was broken and just about as lonely as I was.

Besides the flaws within her though, she was amazingly beautiful. And it was because of her beauty that she became a singer in the very place I inhabited for the night – The Pulse. Her career flared as she danced and sang her way into the drunken hearts of her audience. Even those who were so wasted they couldn't tell a cat from a bucket felt her wonderful voice ring out into them.

But the people watching her performance were never her main concern, no matter how talented she became in the business. She continued her career at the club simply because she needed the money. Her mind was far from the stage. It was off…floating along in one of her wildest dreams.

Every night, before the show, the girl would gaze at herself in the mirror of her dressing room, and burst into tears.

And then the show always went on. Within a matter of five minutes after her breakdown, she was flawlessly glittered and glammed up, complete with an overly excited smile, ready to glow the stage as though the world was full of nothing but happiness.

It was at about this time the DJ's music stopped for a while and the announcement was made that the live performance was about to begin. A good portion of the people on the dance floor dispersed into the booths and chairs, ready to be entertained.

I looked around, but couldn't see Tucker or Andrew anywhere. Just like them to leave me in a booth alone on my birthday after finding a few girls to flirt with. I shook my head and smiled to myself, deciding to forget my two lame friends just like they forgot about me and enjoy the show.

Looking back at the stage, I didn't see any poles or people holding dollar bills out at the ready, which eased my worry a little (Not that I'd really object, but when my parents asked me what I did for my birthday…things could get pretty awkward). Soon, all the lights faded away except for the large disco ball which decorated the entire room with thousands of tiny patches of light that danced all over the club. An older man with obviously dyed brown hair and a blank white tuxedo grinned as a good size of the crowd began to shout and applaud his arrival on stage. He lifted up both his arms, hushing the crowd, and then began to speak.

"Good evening to you all. I'm sure your night as been a pleasurable one here at The Pulse: the finest night club in all of Metropolis. I see a few familiar faces, which makes me very happy. You must've found something here that you like?"

A few whistles from a crowd and one man (who shouted too much like Andrew) who said, "The womennn! WaHOOooo!"

The man in the suit laughed quietly and then nodded, "Yes, yes. And speaking of women, in a few seconds, you will be entertained by the prettiest, sweetest, most sexy young lady The Pulse has ever had the pleasure of housing. She is hot, talented and ready to fluster your faces and steal your hearts. Ladies and gentleman, please give a warm welcome toooo – ELECTRAAA!"

Two spotlights shot into action as soon as the man hopped off the stage. They sent a beam of white hot light onto a girl, posing in the center of the stage.

My mouth dropped open and I unknowingly let the glass in my hand roll off the table and onto the floor with a smash.

Wow. Holy freakin' freakidity WOW. All the worry and boredom in my mind left immediately as I gazed at the beauty in front of me.

She remained looking down at the floor, a small grin teasing her lips. Her dress was a jet black color made of a flowing fabric. The straps crisscrossed in the front, clasped with a diamond-shaped, sparkling pin. A small, vertical slit in the dress was visible in the very just under the clasp, tawningly revealing an extra piece of her smooth, tanned skin. The bottom of the dress fell a little below her knees in two layers with jaggedly cut ends that fluttered around her thin, perfect legs. Black stiletto heels with sparkles dotting the straps captured her feet. Her rich brown hair was pulled back and twisted into a look that allowed all of her gorgeous face to be seen. A microphone was gripped in one of her perfectly manicured hands.

I took a deep breath. The entire crowd had gone completely silent, awed by her beauty.

And then she looked up.

To this day, I swear my heart stopped.

Her face was the closest to an angel's I'd ever seen. Her lips glossy and her cheeks blushed and flawless. Her soft, doe-like eyes pierced the room, surrounded by dark, glittering eye shadow and mascara. And as I thought about it, the makeup didn't make her attractive, it only attempted to accent the immense amount beauty she already possessed. I never have and never will see another girl who looked quite as painstakingly gorgeous and ravishingly beautiful as her.

Music started from the band hidden in the shadows behind her and before my already astonished eyes, she raised the microphone to her mouth and let out the most melodious, sweet voice I could ever wish to hear.

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?

Leading you down into my core

Where I've become so numb

Without a soul

My spirit sleeping somewhere cold

Until you find it there and lead it

Back home

"Wake me up inside

Wake me up inside

Call my name and save me from the dark

Bid my blood to run

Before I come undone

Save me from the nothing I've become."

I knew the song, and usually it seemed to depress me a little (maybe because of the fact that I could never save the girl), but when I heard and saw Electra…her voice, her twirling, her very hip-involved dancing on stage drew me into her. The words didn't depress me. In fact, they seemed to be laced with hope. The girl seemed to become a source of hope for me. It was the closest to an out of body experience I'd ever felt. Someone could've dropped a whole bowl full of kryptonite in my lap and I wouldn't have minded a bit. The girl was absolutely astonishing.

Then suddenly, without warning, her eyes stopped and connected straight forwardly into mine.

The hairs on the back of my neck leapt to life. I couldn't look away, even if I'd wanted to. Her eyes pierced me, holding me at her mercy. After a few seconds, she smirked slightly and did another twirl, falling back into her entrancing milieu of music, leaving me dazed and confused, but still enthralled by her very existence.

People began to rise, hypnotically to the dance floor once again, jumping and shaking around to the music, as though her voice had secretly sent them all the message to join in.

But I still couldn't move. Her eyes…everything about her, really…I felt paralyzed.

The song soon died away and she slipped gracefully out of its melody. She sent a bright smile to all her audience, but never meeting my eyes as exact as she had before.

"Thank you. You've been a great crowd. I hope you enjoyed it!"

"Wahooooo!"

"YEE-aahhhhh!"

"Ah! Whereyou goin'! COME BACK 'ERE LIL LADY!"

People shouted all kinds of praise and…other things…as she pranced off stage and through a door going into the back of the club, waving to us all as she did so.

I ordered a glass of water, poured it into my mouth, swallowed….but something still didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself. Something changed…

I didn't know it then, but I know now that it was in that moment that I felt what's it's like to be in love for the very first time.


	4. Chapter 3

"You were absolutely amazing tonight. Really! You get better every time you're up there," the man in the suit complimented as he met with the beautiful girl back stage. Tiny wrinkles near the sides of his eyes stretched out as he grinned at her in glee.

"I guess it just gets easier after you're use to pretending to be someone you're not for so long, Dean," she admitted, wiping some of the glittery eye shadow from her face in order to prevent it from stinging her eyes like it did so many times before. The whole experience was like Halloween to her. One long, exhausting Halloween party.

"What are you talking about?"

She stopped poking at her eye to stare at him, cocking her head to one side, as though it was obvious what she meant. "Electra?"

Dean lifted his eyebrows, then closed his eyes for a moment as he nodded. He rested his hands on her small, yet surprisingly strong shoulders and smiled with realization. "We've been over that before, Lana. It's just a name. Electra has more spice to it – people in Hollywood do it all the time."

"But this isn't Hollywood – it's nowhere near Hollywood. I just feel like I'm putting on a mask everytime I go out there. I'm not Electra. I never will be."

Dean pulled one side of his face into a half-smile and then wrapped one arm around her back, leading her down the hallway to her dressing room. "You know, way back in the olden days, names were considered to be sacred. So powerful, it was believed that if anyone found out your real name, they could have complete control over you. Many used shorter, more common names in order to prevent themselves from being at the mercy of someone else. They only told their name to people in which they had complete and utter trust. Husbands and wives shared a deeper connection because of it."

The subject of husbands and wives suddenly made Lana's stomach flip, but she hid it as best she could with an understanding smile.

"It's just a stage name, Lana. And, to put it quite bluntly, all those people out there couldn't give two shts about what your real name is. They wouldn't even remember it the next day. No one here is worth knowing who you really are. A little depressing, but true. Electra is what brings curious customers in, so that's what we go with."

She sighed and stared at the ground for the rest of the walk until she reluctantly stopped in front of her dressing room door. "I guess you're right." About both the customer part, and the depressing part. "So, do you need me to stay later tonight? Any requests?"

"Yes. Two young men requested you for a friend of theirs. He's sitting in booth #2."

She bit her lip, fighting the urge to tell Dean she just wanted to go home.

But she didn't. Years later, she would tell me a voice in her head had told her to stay at the club that night too, and although I've told her many times that I don't believe it, it's nice to think that maybe that's what happened. Maybe the voice's name was destiny.

And meanwhile, as Lana prepared to entertain her request, I slowly - very slowly - began to recover. Normal DJ music returned to the speakers and the people reverted back to their drunken, overly-happy selves. I'd almost fallen back into my glass-rolling phase, when I heard the clickity-click of stilettos nearby. My ears perked and my heart raced with anticipation and excitement even before I looked up and confirmed my guess of who was approaching.

My entire mouth became drier with each step she took. In reality she was making a quick advance towards me, but in my mind it felt like everything was in slow motion.

She dropped down opposite me in the booth, her eyes still capturing mine. Each blink she made…each flick of her twinkling lashes…somehow captivated me in a way I'd never experienced with any other girl before.

"Mind if I sit here?"

There was that wonderful, elegant voice again. I tried to answer her as best as I could, although my mouth still lacked saliva. "What? Um…ahem…uh, no…I don't…"

She could tell she had me wrapped around her finger. I kept trying to prove her wrong, but somehow the more I tried to mentally back away from her presence, the more she infected my mind. What was she doing to me? And why was she doing it?

"I couldn't help but notice you gazing at me earlier," she stated, casually moving the metal centerpiece back to it's original spot on the table, as though sitting across from a man who was obviously nervous out of his mind was a daily thing. That made me feel even more stupid - maybe this _was_ a daily thing for her. I felt like a tiny goldfish with a shark on my tail that could catch me at any moment – it just decided to wait on making the death snatch for the pure thrill of the hunt.

"Well, I uh…you…" Swallowing still didn't help - only seemed to make her silently giggle a bit. That also wasn't helping. "…you were singing…in front of an audience…it's only natural that people stare at you…" Gulp. Damn, still wasn't working. I looked away from her enthralling eyes so I could work on the method of swallowing better. "…right?"

She gave me a devilish smile and nodded. "Stare, yes. But…usually," She leaned forward on the table, giving me a teasing view of her cleavage, which her dark dress revealed modestly, but nicely, "people only _gaze_ when they see something they really…_really_…" she narrowed her eyes and stared at my nervous lips, "…_desire_."

"Ahm…" Gulp. Double gulp. Freakin' throat stopped working at the worst time ever! My stupidity and embarrassment only succeeded in making my entire face turn beat red. Maybe if I had more experience with pretty girls – or any girls at all really – I would've known what to do in a situation like that…how to act cool. How not to be that pitiful little goldfish, destined to get swallowed up at any moment.

I practically jumped out of my skin when she took one of my hands in hers. She felt as good as she looked. I couldn't even attempt at swallowing anymore. I just suddenly forgot how.

"Do you want to dance?"

"Dance?" My brain was definitely on overload. I wanted nothing more than to run out of that place screaming. The entire vicinity of my booth felt a hundred degrees hotter than a few minutes ago. I could tell the shark was going in for the kill. "I don't…I mean…I'm not very good at it…at dancing."

She smirked and let out a short laugh. "Then what are you doing in a club? That's kind of what people come here to do."

"A-Actually, I'm just here because some of my friends pushed me into it for my birthday – "

I tried to find them with my eyes on the dance floor in order to prove my story, when she suddenly emitted a loud shriek.

"It's your BIRTHDAY! REALLY! Oh, well, then I HAVE to dance with the birthday boy!"

Before I knew it, I was being dragged out onto the floor, shaking and trembling the whole way. I wondered why I couldn't ever just stop talking. It always seemed like I never said the right thing anyway. Whatever I said, it always came out creating exactly what I DIDN'T want to happen.

Still, it was only small at first, but there was that voice that came back into my mind…or maybe it was in my heart. Yes, probably in my heart. The beating of the club's music (now playing "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake) seemed to drown it out at first, but I could tell it was overjoyed. The rest of me thought it was insane, but the voice insisted that dancing with this girl would be one of the best experiences I would ever have. And somehow I rested everything on that one, tiny voice once again.

But the voice soon died away, as she had picked a spot on the floor very much surrounded on all sides by grinding couples, loosing their minds as they danced. The only place I could look that wasn't NC-17 rated was her face. She watched me, the smile she'd been wearing all night still shining on her perfectly glossed lips.

Both of her sleek arms wrapped around my neck as her hips rotated towards mine. My concentration on my own horrible dancing was continuously broken by her laughter as she looked at me – the tiny, cowering goldfish was officially sucked into the jaws of its predator. I tried matching her movements, but it wasn't helping. It seemed the more I tried to dance, the worse I got at doing it.

I looked over at a couple close to us who seemed to be more than pros at this very sensual hip dancing, but when I kept my eyes away from her for too long, one of her fingers touched my chin, guiding my eyes back to her. My heart raced, out of tune with the music's beat - out of tune with everything. Beads of sweat began to drip down my face. She grinned broadly, and moved in so close to me I could feel her harsh, hot breaths on my face. Her fingers slid down my tense cheekbones, meeting on my lips.

From there, she licked her own lips as her hands fell down my chest, toying with the buttons on my shirt. Slowly, she moved downwards…

My body was betraying me, especially the lower region. The small voice in my head, was growing louder, wanting something more. I was slipping away into the music…into the girl's amazing eyes…

Wait…what was going on…I didn't even know her name! I didn't even know who she was or what would happen after my voice got what it wanted. I was turning into those guys who gave no name or personality to their love…those guys who used random women for themselves…

"S-stop! Please, I – " I pushed her away, a little harder than intended. Her offended look hurt me, but I tried to think nothing of it. "Look, it's not you. I just…I'm not another one of these guys. I don't…I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"But – "

"No, I get it. This was something my friends put up to you, right?" I laughed at my own stupidity. How didn't I see this before? "Look, it's fine. Whatever they paid you, go ahead and keep it. You were wonderful at your job."

I walked briskly off the dance floor, but could feel her gaze on my back.

"Wait, please." She grabbed my hand, stopping me instantly. "It was obvious you weren't up for dancing and I forced you to anyway. I'm sorry. Can't we do something else though?"

I turned around, probably the dumbest move to make in a situation like that. I knew she'd convince me to stay if I looked at her again. She didn't even have to do that pouty thing she started doing with her bottom lip, although it helped her case a little.

I looked away from her sheepishly. What else do you do in a club?

Drink? Nah.

Gamble? No way.

God knows what in the rooms upstairs? I could barely breathe as it was!

Suddenly, I noticed the lit sign hanging up next to the DJ's platform – KARAOKE.

She immediately followed my stare and looked back at me in excitement. "You sing! No way!"

"Um...sort of. But I don't really do it in front of people…"

"Oh, I bet you're great. Come on, I want to hear you!"

I should've just said no and left. Once again, I said the wrong thing and got exactly what I didn't want. Big surprise.

"Randy! Randy, stop the music!"

"The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang was cut short (thank God!), followed by a lot of grumbling from a lot of angry dancers. I swallowed, hoping none of them would blame me for the sudden halt in their musically erotic pleasure. I was positive that my singing was NOT a good replacement for that.

"Attention everyone!" She shouted into the microphone on the stage. "I've found a hot, young singer to do a little karaoke for us tonight. And as a bonus – it's his birthday todaaaayy!"

Almost everyone who was drunk or couldn't hear the speakers clapped, whistled or cheered (the rest just had a permanent "wtf?" look on their face). I could hear Andrew and Tucker's howling from the back of the floor. My cheeks retreated back to their cherry complextion.

She looked over at me and handed over the microphone with a smile. I tried smiling back but I think it just ended up looking like I was constipated. Singing. Singing in front of people. In front of muscular bikers who wanted to hear songs about women, money, and sex all night long. Gulp. GULP damn it! Gulp!

I searched through the karaoke machine near the microphone stand, tuning out the whistles from women with hardly any clothing and a few men in hot pink and too much makeup.

I finally picked the song and tried to get as comfortable as I could in front of the mike. I didn't want to look at Andrew or Tucker, so I turned to the only other person I "knew" in the club – Electra.

And then the song began, so my voice reluctantly followed in.

"I'm packed and I'm holding, I'm smiling,  
She's living, she's golden, she lives for me  
She says she lives for me  
Ovation, She's got her own motivation  
She comes round and she goes down on me  
And I make her smile like a drug for you  
Do ever what you want to do  
Coming over you  
Keep on smiling what we go through  
One stop to the rhythm that divides you  
And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse  
Chop another line like a coda with a curse  
And I come on like a freak show takes the stage  
We give them the games we play, she said  
I want something else  
To get me through this   
Semi-charmed kind of life  
Baby, Baby  
I want something else, I'm not listening when you say  
Good byyyyee!"

As I sang, I kind of realized the song was a little boy-band-ish, but the audience didn't seem to care. It had a beat that they could dance to, plus the drunkards enjoyed joining in on the chorus of "good bye" (although a few thought it said "Go die", which I hoped wouldn't result in anything fatal).

My former dance partner seemed to be enjoying the music. A few guys joined around her, trying to get a dance. She happily obliged, but continued to look into my eyes after about ten seconds of dancing. For a moment it almost felt like I was the rocker guy on stage and she was my hot girlfriend, supporting me on the sidelines. Of course, I didn't know her name and we'd only met not even ten minutes ago…maybe I was wrong when I thought that alcohol couldn't affect me…

"And I want something else to get me through this life Baby, Baby  
And I want something else, I'm not listening when you say  
Good byyye! Good byyyeee! Good byyye!"

I was quite happy when the song ended. I smiled, thanked the crowd, and shuffled off stage, praying that no one would try to jump me because of my awful voice.

"That was a-MAZING! Your voice is so sexy! We should sing a duet sometime!" She smiled at me, bright and bubbly as always.

"Um, thanks. I don't really sing in public, though."

The next song the DJ put on was entirely too loud, so she didn't hear anything I'd just said. She just slid her arm around mine, not seeming to notice or care about my response.

A group of people began to form around us. I could smell the alcohol on their breaths as they congratulated me on my pregnancy, instead of my birthday. I decided to just say thank you. I wasn't very good at correcting drunks without getting an angry look or an attempt at a punch to my jaw. It wasn't very important to me anyway.

Somehow, however, my new posy of friends mingled back over to Booth #2 and before I knew what was going on, the only girl who knew it was actually my birthday shoved me into the corner of the booth, straddled me, and rested a warm hand on each side of my face.

"I believe the birthday boy is expecting his birthday kiss."

"Wha – !"

Smack. Electra's lips were attached to mine in a deep, overly-passionate kiss. I gasped for air less than a second in because I was so unprepared. All I could think about was how wrong this whole night was becoming and how stupid Andrew and Tucker were to sucker me into coming here. Was it possible to die from suffocation by a kiss? Because if not, I was almost sure that I would be the first to die that way. This girl had deadly kisses, no pun intended!

Suddenly, the girl's mouth abruptly broke away from mine. The group around us had since completely forgotten who we were and began some short of contest over who could hold a shot glass on their head the longest. The girl didn't seem to hear them, though. She just remained on top of me, staring into my eyes in the strangest way I'd ever seen.

"I've…never kissed anyone like you before…" She said softly. It was a different tone. I almost didn't recognize it as her voice. She seemed younger…weaker. Like her former voice, minus the layers of smoldering seductiveness.

I didn't know what to say, so I just stared back at her, breathing so hard she began to rise and fall with my chest. Her eyes looked odd too…something had left them somehow…

After a few minutes, she sat back, resting her butt on my knees. I tried to sit up a little, still leaning back on the corner of the booth, somewhat in shock. "Well…I've…I've never really been kissed like that before…" I studied her reaction with embarrassment. "….was it that bad?"

"What?" She seemed to be in a daze at first, but then shook her head with a smile. "No. No…you…you just…I mean…" her smile faded as she tried to explain, "…usually, when I give a guy a kiss, he really gets into it. But you…you were so…" her eyes flicked back and forth in mine, as though she were looking for something, before she sighed and continued, "…gentle. No one's ever been so…gentle before."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Do you want me to be more forceful?"

I had no idea what was next. Another kiss? Just sitting? Did I do something wrong and now she didn't know what to do?

"I…" She looked just as confused, so my assumption seemed to be true. I was suppose to get all into her tempting ways, and then get drunk and possibly do more with her in one of those private rooms upstairs.

Embarrassment. Again.

"Look, uh…I think I should probably go now…um…"

"Yeah…" She whispered, still in her new, weird, dream-like state. She wasn't taking her eyes off me and it was starting to freak me out a little.

"I'm sorry. I just…I had a good time. I mean, you were good. I mean…" Stop. Talking! "You're probably gonna have to…" I motioned for her to stand, which she blushed and did immediately. "Sorry again. I really am."

"No, it's fine. It's ok." She smiled and nodded.

I gave her a smile, and turned to go. Surprisingly, though, I felt a hand on my arm.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"What's...what's your name?"

I tried not to look so shocked that she would ask me that. I mean, how many times does a woman of the night ask men what their names are?

Still, I was a gentleman, so I answered, "It's Clark. Clark Kent. Yours?"

"Mine?" She looked even more shocked than I had. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then she licked her lips and muttered softly, "Lana…Lang. Lana Lang."

"Lana Lang." Mmm…the name sounded so pretty, much better than what the man in the suit had called her, I couldn't help but repeat it. "Well, goodnight, Lana. It was nice meeting and…uh…dancing with you."

"Yeah, you too."

I gave her a friendly nod and then got myself the heck away from there! As soon as I was out of her eyesight, I let out a long gush of air from my mouth.

And that was, my dear readers, by far the weirdest, hottest, Clark Kent birthday. EVER.

Little did I know it wasn't over just yet.


	5. Chapter 4

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! CLARKY, MY MAAAN!!"

I found Andrew and Tucker – women everywhere and clearly enough empty beer bottles on the table to intoxicate a good size baby elephant.

"Guys – "

"Dude, you HAVE to check Roxy out!" Tucker shouted over the techno music behind us as he gazed at the brunette wearing a tiny glittery red dress in his lap. He leaned over to me and added, "She does this thing with her tongue that is in-CRED-ible!"

"No, man, Saphina's the best," Andrew drunkenly protested. "She has hands like a – "

I closed my eyes with disinterest. "Alright, I get it. Look, guys, I just came over here to tell you I'd like to leave now. Are you coming with me or not?" I asked as sternly as I could, trying to ignore the many stares I was getting from the collection of girls the two horny boys had gathered that night.

"Hell no, Clark. We ain't leaving! It ain't even midnight yet!" Andrew protested with an angry look, which was quickly covered by a smile as Saphina offered him the lemon slice from her latest drink.

"It's 3:30, Andy. Seriously, you have no other way of getting home and I'm not letting you guys try to hitch a ride from some other person probably drunker than you…" I frowned as I noticed it took the girl three tries to get the lemon slice successfully in Andy's mouth. "…if that's even possible at this point."

"Clarky, Clarky…" Tucker shook his head in shame, holding out a set of very familiar keys. "We had Pete park your truck outside in case you wanted to leave before we did. We're gonna stick around here a while longer…like allllll night!"

Both of them broke out into laughter again, and I couldn't help but look at them in disgust.

"Whatever. I'm leaving. Try not to kill yourselves."

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Alright then, Party Pooper. Go sit in your dorm room alone all night while we have some REAL fun, right ladies?! Woohooo!"

"Sick horn dogs," I muttered under my breath.

I knew most guys could be pretty careless and stupid, but I never thought Andrew or Tucker – my buddies since grade school – would ever become that selfish. I only hoped I wasn't the only guy in the world who didn't find immediate pleasure in getting ridiculously drunk and then sleeping with five random girls in a night club.

The cool air was gratefully welcomed to my face as I exited the club and made my way through the nightlife of downtown Metropolis – back to where the world made sense. It was only then that I realized how tired I was. My nice comfy bed in the dorm room sounded especially nice. I actually started to jog a little to my parked car on the side of the road at the thought.

Suddenly, I stopped. That wasn't my truck…was it? Why was there a big, dark patch on the front? Kinda looked like…a person?

It figured it was probably some homeless guy. And that would be the third one in a year. I'd gotten into the routine that most other Metropolis people do – give them some money and direct them to the nearest shelter.

The one occupying my hood that night was wrapped up in a large brown trench coat, curled up like a cat. I guessed it was a good thing I hadn't waxed the truck recently.

I reached out and grabbed their shoulder. "Excuse m – "

"Hmm?" The body rolled over, and to my surprise…

"Lana?"

"Wha?...Dean?...Wha're you doin' 'ere?" She looked at me through squinted, drunken eyes. She tried rubbing one with her hand, buried in the overly large coat sleeve.

"Dean? No, I'm Clark…remember?"

"Clllaaarrrrkkkkk…" She said my name slowly, as if trying to register it in her mind.

"Um, I think I better get you back inside – "

"NO!"

I jumped a little.

"Iwssjust…tryingtogetome…" She sat up and slipped off the hood, landing on her wobbling feet. I rushed over to grab her, preventing her from keeling over onto the pavement.

"You were going home? Well…where's you car?" I wondered, trying to keep a good grip on her, although she kept changing the direction in which she wanted her weight to rest.

"DonthaveoneI…walk." She looked up into my eyes. They seemed to be lost and looking more dreamy and dazed than they had before.

"Ok then…where do you live?"

She looked down at my chest in confusion, her head bobbing around a little. Her mouth opened as she tried to say something. I raised my eyebrows in anticipation as she looked back up at me.

"Blue."

And then she passed out.

* * *

The drive to the dorms was somewhat nerve-racking. I actually ran a couple stop signs wondering one, simple thing: if I let her sleep in my bed, where would I sleep?

Pete had the only other bed in the room and the dorm floor definitely wasn't big enough for my long stature. And when Pete brought home a girl, she always slept in the bed with him. But I was positive that if I did that, I would get no sleep whatsoever.

I eventually reached the dorms without any answers to my problems, but carefully snuck Lana up to my room anyway. I just wasn't raised to forget about her…I couldn't forget about her.

When we reached my floor I noticed a note written on the dry eraseboard on the front of my room. I curiously read:

Clark –  
I'm staying at Shannon's tonight.  
Happy B-day.  
- Pete

I let out a sigh of relief, now that I knew there would be enough sleeping space for the both of us. Looking down at her sleeping form in my arms, I got a tingly, warm feeling inside. I wasn't sure why...

Well…maybe I was…I just didn't think want to admit to myself that I was feeling that way. It was weird. And every other time I felt that way, it always ended badly.

Girls and love in general was not my strong suit. I didn't have much experience because I knew I could never let them get too close. I didn't know what would happen if I got too into a moment or if I accidentally used one of my powers in front of her. My mother had always told me there was a chance that a girl who really cared for me would understand, but I was always too chicken to take that risk. I'd rather bury myself in homework and school where I knew no one would get hurt…I guess I figured a nice house and well-paying job would be enough for me…or at least that's what I had convinced myself to believe.

As I set Lana carefully down on the bed, she started to stir.

"What's…what's going on?"

I pulled out a shirt and some sweat pants from my drawer. "Put these on. They'll probably be more comfortable."

"Mmmmmmk…" And before I could stop her, Lana dropped the coat she had on and slipped out of her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

"Whoa! Uh, ok. I'll just go…um…I'll go change in the bathroom…" I snatched up some pajamas for myself and headed down the hall to the restrooms, Lana's figure firmly tattooed to my mind.

And I definitely couldn't lie to myself – she clearly had curves in all the right places. But I made sure I didn't think about it so often – didn't want to dwell on someone who would be out of my life as soon as the sun rose.

I changed and made my way back to the dorm room, cautiously using X-ray vision to make sure she was fully clothed. I opened the door to find her sprawled on my bed, almost swimming in my shirt and pants. As a covered her up with my comforter, I noticed she still had a lot of eye makeup on her eyes. I wasn't very familiar with how to take it off, but I could guess that it would probably be a lot harder and more annoying for her to do it herself with a hang over the next day.

I poured water from a water bottle onto a napkin and started to rub her eyelids as gently as I could. And as I did…I wondered why she had the stuff on at all. It definitely didn't do her natural beauty justice at all.

"Staaahp…" She muttered, smacking my arm until I backed off. As soon as I did, she fell back into her deep sleep.

I laughed a little to myself and then decided to settle into bed as well. Maybe in the morning, this would all be a big, crazy dream.

But couldn't stop a grin from growing as I thought…probably not.


	6. Chapter 5

I instinctively got up early the next morning. Being raised on a farm my whole life seemed to force me into the habit of never sleeping in. I don't even think I could do it if I tried.

Lana (who obviously did not grow up on a farm) was still passed out on my bed, covers everywhere on the floor and her body sprawled diagonally on the mattress. I smiled at her cute-without-even-trying look before heading downstairs to the cafeteria to get us both some breakfast.

A few minutes later, Lana slowly woke up, groggy and confused. She had no idea where she was or how she'd gotten there. Leaping out of my bed in shock, she looked around for any sign that would help her understand what happened the previous night.

I probably should have knocked instead of just barging in on her like I did. I didn't think she would be awake yet. But when I opened the door, I discovered that Lana was very, very much awake.

With a high-pitched scream, she rushed over to the door and smashed it on my face.

I stood outside the room, breakfast in hand, feeling somewhat stupid. A few guys passed by and I smiled casually, as though having a girl scream at the sight of me and kicking me out of my own dorm room was a normal situation. I'm pretty sure they didn't buy it.

After a few seconds, I swallowed and carefully tapped on the door. "Uh…Lana?"

"What's going on? Who are you?" she asked with panic through the door.

"I'm Clark Kent…from the night club last night? You got kind of drunk and ended up asleep on the front of my car. You couldn't tell me where you lived so I just took you to my place…" I listened closely. "Are you still there? I don't recommend jumping out of the window – we're twelve floors up."

Soon, the door creaked open and Lana's shaken face appeared in the crack. She looked down at her clothes.

"I thought those would be more comfortable to sleep in. Your dress is on the floor by the bed," I explained helpfully. The girl was obviously still trying to connect the dots of last night's happenings, and failing miserably at the attempt.

Her gaze wandered over to the direction of my bed. "Did we…um…"

It took me a few seconds, before my eyes bulged. "N-no! No, I…you slept in my bed and my roommate was out for the night, so I slept in his."

"Oh…good." She laughed quietly and then turned back to me, only now noticing the coffee in my grasp. She licked her lips involuntarily.

"This is for you…but you'll probably have to let me in first."

"Oh, right. Sorry." She backed away, allowing me full entry into my room. She closed the door after I made my way in and then covered her face with her hands. "Wow, I am really sorry I slammed the door on you. I just didn't expect – "

"It's okay. No harm done. Here. Sit." I handed her the small cup of coffee and made room for her to sit next to me on my bed.

"Thank you," she muttered softly. "I mean…for everything. Most guys would've just left me passed out on the side of the road. And you just take me in like I'm your best friend and give me your bed, your clothes, your coffee…"

"I just thought it was the right thing to do," I admitted truthfully as I cracked the lid off a bottle of orange juice took a huge swallow. "Did you sleep alright?"

"I suppose. I don't remember much past the last five minutes. And my head feels awful." With that, she fell back onto the bed, covering her eyes with one hand, holding the coffee on her stomach with the other.

"I guess you had quite a lot of drinks last night."

"No kidding. Ugh. I'm surprised I'm not immune to hangovers by now."

I bit my lip, feeling a little weird at the reminder that she was a night club showgirl. Awkwardness began to ensue. "Stuff…stuff like this happens to you often?"

"What do you mean?"

The juice refused to go down my throat calmly, so I set it down on the nightstand. "Just…is this was girls at clubs do? Get drunk every night and forget what happened?"

She sat up on her elbows, taking a tiny sip from of the coffee. "Some of them do – a lot of them actually. I personally don't do it very often, to be honest. Just when…I have to…"

I stole a glance at her. Her head was down, tracing the outline of Chipper the Morning Squirrel on the coffee cup with her fingernail. I could tell she wasn't comfortable talking about her life with people. I definitely could respect that.

"You're a very good singer."

She looked over at me with tired eyes, but smiled brightly. "Thank you." Her eyes suddenly narrowed as she inspected my face and then added, "Wait a sec…I think I remember you now…"

I hastily picked up the orange juice and swallowed a mouthful, lifting my eyebrows slightly. "Do you?"

"Yeah…" A smiled still grazed her face. "You were the birthday boy, right?"

"Oh…uh…yeah." I could feel my cheeks flush almost instantly.

"You're a very good kisser."

I met her eyes, feeling so much more awkward and uncomfortable than I had the whole previous night. I took another swig of orange juice to avoid speech.

She giggled, looking up towards the ceiling. "I bet your girlfriend loves that about you."

"No, she doesn't." Lana's glanced snapped back to mine as I added, "I don't have a girlfriend."

"No way."

"Yes way."

She slowly sat back up, but not taking her eyes off me for one second. "But…why not?"

My entire high school and college life was filled with people asking me that very question – why don't you have a girlfriend? Sometimes I beat around the bush without actually answering, and sometimes I flat out lied.

But, for some reason, I felt like Lana deserved to know the truth. So I shrugged, looking down at the juice bottle, "I don't have someone because…" I then looked up, back into her eyes, "…because I'm not allowed to love."

We stared at each other for only a few silent seconds, but it felt much longer at the time. Her mouth slowly opened soon after, as she whispered, "Me too."

I looked into her eyes and suddenly felt a connection. Something was holding her back as well. But what it was, I couldn't tell just yet. All I knew was that we shared a deep feeling…a feeling I'd never let anyone else see because I thought I'd be too embarrassed. How ironic that a girl who had made me feel so uncomfortable minutes before made me feel so at ease right now.

"It hurts when life locks your heart away, doesn't it?" she asked, her swirling brown eyes still penetrating mine.

"Sometimes…I feel like I'd give anything…just to set it free…" I admitted wholeheartedly, "…even just for a second…"

I hadn't noticed, but my face was slowly advancing on hers. It was completely out of my control. Nothing was registering in my mind. Nothing…except her beautiful eyes…

"Yeah…" she whispered, glancing at my lips.

I had no idea what was happening. All I wanted was to kiss her. I cared about nothing else. I wasn't embarrassed, and I wasn't afraid. My heart was craving for a feeling…any feeling at all. I needed love. I needed her lips on mine.

The centimeters slipped away from between us and freedom…it was only a matter of time before my heart was alive – truly alive – for the first time.

"Take it where you want to go! Just take that ass to the floor! Pop something! Move something! Shake ya tail feather!"

Pete burst into the dorm room, busting a few moves before he noticed Lana and me. He jumped in surprise, pulling the headphones from his ears. "Sht! What the – "

"Pete!" I exclaimed, standing up from the bed. Lana followed my lead and did the same.

"Man, I thought you would be in the library or something." He scanned Lana up and down with confusion. "Who's this?"

"This is – "

"Electra!" Lana chimmed in before I could finish.

"Electra? Waaait a second…" He dropped his iPod on his bed, staring at nothing but the girl in front of him. "You're Electra! The Pulse's Electra!" He turned, staring at me in disbelief. "Daaaaaymn, Clark!"

"I should get going. Um, thank you again for letting me stay here. I was nice meeting you, Clark. And you too, Pete." She set the empty coffee cup on the night stand and then made her way to the door. Looking back at me with a small, timid smile, nothing like what she'd given me last night. "I hope to see you again."

I looked over at Pete, who flicked his eyebrows in a horny-guy kinda way, and then felt my heart race when she shut the door behind her. I wasn't satisfied. My mind was full of feelings that hadn't gone away when my boisterous roommate had entered the room. I hadn't felt like that...ever. And it felt so perfect. I wasn't ready to let her walk away.

Suddenly I remembered something. I scanned the room and then snatched up her dress. Hardly paid attention to Pete's snide remarks about what he figured last night had entailed, I practically jumped towards the door.

"L-Lana! Wait, um…" I slipped out the door, shyly closing it behind me.

She stood there in the hallway, my baggy clothes hanging loosely on her thin body, hair a mess. The mascara that had masked her face for most of last night had almost completely disappeared, allowing her hazel eyes to come dazzling out of hiding. I gave her a friendly smile. She was still absolutely beautiful.

"You, uh, forgot this…" I handed her the dress, feeling a bit awkward. I'd never had a girl spend the night with me, so I wasn't sure how to act afterwards. Especially since nothing had happened. Even more awkward.

"Oh, yeah…"

She looked down at her current clothing, so I quickly added, "You can go ahead and keep that stuff as long as you want. I-I mean, ya know, I…heh…"

I cursed to myself. The embarrassment pendulum was definitely swinging its way back towards me.

"I get what you mean. And thanks. Again." She laughed a little. "I've said that more times in the past twenty four hours than I have my whole life, I think. Anyway, I guess I'll see you later."

I nodded, trying to think of something else to say to stop her from leaving so soon.

"Um…I just…" 

The plan half worked – she'd stopped her advance towards the elevator. Unfortunately, I still had nothing to say. Small talk seemed stupid. So I just went with the first thing that came to mind.

"I enjoyed talking to you. I really hope we can talk again…soon." I shoved my hands in my pockets. That was always the automatic thing for a shy, farm boy like me to do when they were speaking their real feelings to an amazing girl such as Lana Lang.

She batted her eyes in a cute, sexy way and nodded. "I'm sure we will. You can request me anytime down at the club."

That response caused my heart to sink a little. "Well, I…I kind of liked what we did this morning – just sitting…talking…sans the loud music and lots of weird people."

"Yeah, me too." For a moment I saw the excitement in her eyes – the yearning to rewind just a few minutes earlier, before the rude interruption. But the spark quickly flickered away as she sighed. "I wish I could, but I don't have much time these days. I hope to see you again though. Really I do."

"Yeah…so…can I drive you home?" I shrugged casually.

"Oh no, it's fine. I can take the bus. And it stops right in front of my apartment building."

I smiled and became extremely fascinated with my feet.

"See you around, Clark."

"Bye, Lana."

And the elevator shut with a cold click.

I let out a gush of air, running my hands through my messy hair somewhat in frustration, but also in sadness. Maybe this was suppose to be like this. But why? Why couldn't I have what I wanted just once? Even just a kiss in my dorm room. Just one, simple kiss.

I decided to wander up to the rooftop, partly to get some air and partly so Pete wouldn't hassle me about having "Electra" all to myself last night.

And as I climbed the staircase, a weird, embarrassing feeling occurred inside me - the farthest I'd ever been with a girl was a kiss. Not even a hot, wet kiss…just a kiss. In fact, the birthday kiss I'd received last night was just about the most intimate feeling I'd ever experienced.

Yes, I was a twenty-one-year-old virgin. I always felt out of the loop when the guys, even those who I knew were virgins as well, bragged about their nighttime lady adventures. It wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about, but it was the fact that I had to fake a laugh every time they talked about it. I could only excuse myself to the bathroom so many times (and not for the reason that some of them had thought). I felt like I was the kid in a group of adults. I just didn't belong.

It seemed like I always felt like I didn't belong, anywhere I went. And when I dismissed my love life, or was laughed at for being honest at how inexperienced I was, the feeling came back even stronger. If I was a girl, I probably would've cried. But I wasn't. I was a tough, strong male.

So, instead, I continued my journey to the rooftop by myself, ignoring my problems and sealing my heart back up with each stride I made.


	7. Chapter 6

A.N. I'd just like to take this time to remind you all that I really do appreciate any reviews you'd care to give me. Really, I do. And it kind of makes me sad that I'm not getting a lot of feeback on this, even though I know people are at least clicking into the chapters. I'm not going to say 'Give me 5 reviews or I'm not updating'. That's lame. I'm just gonna state a fact: **the less feedback I get, the less inclined I am to updating**. That's just how it is. So, if you enjoy reading this (or even if you don't and have some suggestions) please take the time to review. It really doesn't take that long, and it doesn't hurt anybody, does it?

Thanks a lot all who have reviewed already and also to those who have added this or me to their alerts and/or favorites. It really means a lot to me.

Alright I'm done. Enjoy!

* * *

As I contemplated life on the dorm rooftop, Lana did some thinking of her own.

She finished "de-glitterfying" her face in the mirror of her bathroom, scrubbing and moisturizing as she waited for the water to warm up in the tub. The cleansing process never fully ended until she was resting peacefully in a toasty, soothing bubble bath.

All the makeup and smoky, club smells were finally washed clean from her skin. She lay there for hours, sometimes even falling asleep, washing away the artificial beauty of her job and letting the natural sweetness of her cheeks and softness of her touch bubble back to the surface.

It wouldn't be for a long while that I would ever see Lana lying naked in a bath tub, but in my opinion, it was always the time when she looked the most beautiful. A light smile present on her pale pink lips. Water droplets slipping down her rich, porcelain-like skin. Her dark hair, wet and splayed around her head and neck like a wave of soft, chocolate-colored silk…like a water goddess or some kind of mermaid.

She always playfully chastised me for walking into the bathroom some days to just sit there by the tub, watching her without her knowledge. Yet, in all the time I watched her, submerged in that liquid tranquility...looking so incredibly peaceful…sex never once crossed my mind, as she always insisted it did. Our relationship had never really been focused on sensual feelings anyway (although we certainly had our moments of madness). Lana and I had always been bonded on a much deeper level than any sort of physical feeling. It's even hard to describe in words without sounding cheesy.

Every night it seemed the water would renew her, but for the longest time, it seemed the next day was certain to bring a new dirty, "protective" shell for her to rinse away.

Both of us were just facing each day as it came, nothing in the distant future was ever easily seen. And sure, it hurt a little each day to think that maybe our two separate, sick cycles would go on for the rest of our lives, but at the time we couldn't think of anything better. At the time, neither one of us indulged in what we really felt because at the time, neither one of us knew what we wanted.

But that day felt different to Lana and me. I tried to promise myself that I would never allow another moment like what had almost happened in my dorm earlier, but I couldn't get Lana's image out of my mind. Everywhere I looked, everything I thought about…I even caught myself daydreaming about a life with her…together forever. It seemed too good to ever happen. But that didn't stop me from thinking of it as I watched the sun crawl up in the sky and the city birds swoop across from rooftop to rooftop. I wondered if she would enjoy sitting up there with me…if she was thinking about me at that same moment…

And she was. Lana told me later that she had never thought so much for so long about any other person in her life.

She closed her eyes and slipped under the swirling water, feeling it embracing her head as she became fully submerged. She always felt free under water. No one ever bothered her there. It was an escape…and that day, for the first time, she wished she had someone else to share the experience with. A smile stretched across her face as she imagined me there with her…under the water…free.

An hour later however, she was crossing streets in downtown Metropolis, making her way to The Pulse. Another night of glitter, songs, and drinks.

She urged Dean to cancel any requests she had for the night because she was sick (with an illness she likes to now call Clarkitis – there still is no cure), and rushed out the back door of the club, wrapping her full length coat around her body tightly and taking large strides towards her destination.

"Mind if I walk with you?"

Lana froze and whirled around looking a little afraid, but mostly shocked. "Clark?"

I smiled and stood up from the lamp post I'd been leaning on for the past two hours. "Yeah. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"No, it's ok. Sure, you can walk with me," She answered with an honestly happy grin. My stomach whooshed at the thought that I was the one that made that grin appear. "I canceled all my requests tonight, so I'm sorry if you were one of them…"

"Uh…I wasn't…" I surprised myself as a flicker of jealous shocked through me. I'd only met Lana yesterday and already I felt jealous?

"Um…truthfully, I decided to just wait out here for you."

"Out here? How long were you waiting?" she asked with immediate concern.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as we walked, gluing my focus on the pavement. "Uh…let's just say…longer than any sane person would."

"Oh, Clark…you shouldn't have done that…"

"It's not like I had anything better to do." Just to eat lunch…and dinner….and work on my college thesis…no biggie.

The walk continued with only minor small talk, but I certainly didn't mind not talking a lot. As long as I was in her presence, I didn't mind anything at all. I stole glances at her at least a hundred times before getting careless and letting her catch me. But even after that, my eyes stared into hers for just a few seconds before bashfully falling back to the ground with a smile.

"What?" she asked with intrigue. "Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing." But my heart was screaming to be heard, to let her know that there really was something.

She suddenly walked into from of me and stopped. I stood, frozen to the spot, wondering if she could sense that I was lying. "My apartment's right here."

"Hm?" I followed her outstretched arm at the building to the left of us.

It was an odd, pale blue hue, which I supposed is where her drunken explanation of "Blue" had come from. Some of the paint was chipping off and the curtains in the windows looked overly starched and off-white. And although it was located in a well-lit part of town, I suddenly felt a little worried. "You live here by yourself?"

"Yeah. It's not much, but it's close to work and the rent isn't so bad." She seemed content with her answer until she looked over and noticed my reaction. "It really isn't as crappy as it looks."

I quickly snapped out of my angry, protective expression and turned back to her with a smile. "I'm sure it isn't."

She dropped her head to one side in a cute way and analyzed my face before speaking. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"This morning, before your roommate showed up…"

Awkward conversation! "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to suddenly move in on you like I did."

She stared blankly before laughing to herself. "No, I mean…well, it wasn't all your fault. Something came over me too…"

She had a hard time looking into my eyes after she responded, so I tried to revive the conversation, mostly to just get it over with. "So…you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yeah…uh…" She pulled a strand of hair from her face and then quickly shoved her hand back in her coat pocket to match the other as she looked up at me. "This might sound a little grade-school-ish, but I wanted to know if…you'd like to be my friend."

"…oh." Stare. Confused.

"I mean I know earlier, we just…we both established that we just got carried away…but I'd still really like to get to know you," she admitted truthfully. Her gaze then fell back to the ground. "I really…I really don't have many people in my life that I can call…'a friend.'"

I tried to smile comfortingly through my expression of sadness. "Of course I'll be your friend, Lana."

She looked back at me with wide, but happy eyes and then fell into my chest, embracing me around the waist. "You're amazing, Clark."

My large hands rested on her back as she took refuge in my shirt. I felt warm and content. Like two puzzle pieces snapping together. Like we were suppose to be like this.

It was then that I realized just how perfect the words of "Bring Me To Life" were for her to sing – she was living those words everyday. And maybe the reason I didn't feel as sad when I heard them coming from her voice was because I knew I could save her. I somehow knew that I would.

So I made a silent promise to myself that night. I promised that I would do anything and everything in my power to make sure that the girl in my arms would never feel alone again.

I would save her. No matter what the cost.

* * *

After that night, I walked Lana home constantly. She admitted it did freak her out some nights to walk home alone, especially when she was fairly drunk. A few times she awoke to find herself scrunched up in an alley at six in the morning. We both laughed at the story, but in the back of our minds we were scared to death of what could've happened instead.

Soon I'd walked with her so many times we began to almost get in a kind of routine. I'd wait for her until a little after two, and if she didn't show up, I'd go down one block to a coffeehouse and wait until four thirty when she was finished entertaining her requests.

And as much as I tried to ignore it, the jealousy always remained deep within me. I would sit in the coffeehouse, sipping my drink, tuning in with my super hearing every so often, just to make sure whoever she was with that night didn't try to force himself on her. The way she sometimes acted around me – vulnerable and shy – I knew she wasn't one of those women who would do anything with a guy if it meant a little extra cash in her pocket. She had boundaries. And I vowed to help her kept them strong.

I didn't tell Lana about how jealous I was until a long while after those waits of sipping coffee by myself. We'd just agreed to a friendship and that alone was more than I could ever ask for. I remained as ignorant as possible, even to myself, mostly out of habit. We were just friends and, as far as I was concerned, that's all we would ever be.

I couldn't lie, though. I loved talking to her. We'd plow through hundreds of subjects as we crossed the streets and trudged down sidewalks to get to her apartment, sometimes taking long routes in order to have more conversing time. I found that we had a lot more in common than just the fact that we denied love.

We both loved dogs, classic rock, astrology and the rain. We both hated costumes, heights, working, and…of course…being alone.

I didn't want to ditch Pete, but Lana was beginning to grow on me as my best friend. And honestly, he hadn't been that much fun to hang out with since he and Shannon had gotten together. Lana, on the other hand, was always there to listen and to respond with helpful advice or just a funny statement.

And although we were the same in many areas, we also had different outlooks on the world and opinions on subjects. Not enough of a difference to get into a heated argument, just enough to give the other a new perspective on ideas. Another thing we both shared was openmindedness. And that was something I was very grateful for.

It wasn't until Saturday, a week after my birthday, that I actually considered telling her my secret. Part of me began to panic, reminding myself that we only knew each other for seven days. Still, while that was true, I also felt that out of all my friends, Lana would be the best candidate to learn who and what I really was. She was trusting and understanding. I was almost sure that she wouldn't turn away from me.

So, as we walked home that night, I decided to do some "investigative reporting" as my good friend Chloe would call it.

"Do you think…I mean…have you ever wondered if…there were life on other planets?" I asked casually as I kept my gaze up at the stars above us.

She looked up at them too with a smile. "Well, yeah. I guess I've thought about it once or twice."

I swallowed nervously, even though the way she'd answered my first question gave no reason for me to feel uncomfortable. "And did you ever wonder…if a lifeform like that…were to come to Earth?"

"Like…like an alien?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows and looking over at me.

I swallowed again, making my Adam's apple rise and fall deeply. I tried to focus on the constellation of Orion for strength. "Yeah…how would you feel if you met an alien?"

"Hm…" She took a moment to think about it. An incredibly long minute, if you ask me. "Well…I think it would be kind of cool."

"Cool?" I repeated with curiosity, looking in her general direction, but not moving my head from the sky.

"Yeah. Well, it depends. If they're nice, gentle little creatures then yeah…it would be pretty cool. But if they were like some three-eyed, 4 foot dudes with big heads and a tail then I'd be pretty freaked out."

I laugh a long with her, but still didn't feel totally at ease until she continued.

"But if they were the former…have to admit, I'd be pretty excited. Just because we're from different worlds…I don't think that means we wouldn't have any common ground. I guess if I met an alien…I'd probably end up making them my best friend. Maybe they'd be kind enough to beam me back to their planet so I could see what life is like there." Lana laughed at herself and shook her head. "I know, I'm weird."

"Yeah, you are," I agreed with a smile. "But it's a good thing. Trust me."

She looked up at me with a grin, then slipped her arm through mine, walking with me in perfect silence and synchronization.

And for the next twenty four hours I was more than confident that Lana was the one to share my life with. My origin, my abilities, and my future…everything.

But life, I as I've clearly learned over the years, does not let Clark Kent get anything worth while quite that easily. There's always an obstacle to overcome. A lesson to be learned. And pain to be felt.


	8. Chapter 7

Sorry this updates taken forever and a half. I'm really going to try to update everyday for the rest of this week to make up for it. No joke. So be ready!

* * *

If only life could've given us a break. If only enough time could've passed quietly so that I could collect enough trust in Lana to reveal my secret. Then everything could've ended so sweetly and smoothly and we would waste no more time being apart.

But between Lana and me, there grew a barrier. The monkey wrench in the machine, so to speak.

I uncovered it while walking Lana home the next night. Confidence bubbling, smile gleaming.

"So, I seems we've talked about pretty much everything humanly known to man except a few things," I spoke up as soon as there was a pause in our conversation.

"Really? What do we need to cover?" she asked curiously.

"Well, there's psycho serial killers – which I don't think would be a very good subject walking down Metropolis streets at three in the morning – and…family." I swallowed, feeling a little nervous, but excited.

"Family…yeah…"

She said nothing more, so I decided to poke her verbally poke her a little more. "So, how about your parents? Strict or laid back?"

"Actually…they're both dead. They died a little over eighteen years ago."

My nervousness and excitement sunk into empathy and sadness. "Oh. Oh, I didn't – I'm sorry, Lana."

"No, it's okay. You didn't know."

Hands went back into my pockets. Nice move, Kent.

She pulled her hair behind her ears and looked straightforwardly at the approaching crosswalk. "They died in the meteor shower."

My heart dropped, my mind frozen with disbelief. "Meteor shower?"

"Yeah. The one in Smallville? 1989?"

"I remember. I just…" I swallowed deeply, trying to rid my insides of the newfound guilt. "…I didn't realize anyone had died in it."

"That's probably because my parents were the only ones."

I stared at my feet as we waited at the crosswalk, suddenly wishing I hadn't brought family up. I felt awful. I felt like a murderer…I _was_ a murderer.

To avoid a longer awkward silence, I decided to change the direction of the subject. "So, who did you live with growing up?"

"When I was little, I lived in a tiny apartment with my Aunt Nell," She informed as the walk sign lit up and we trudged along the slashed white lines of the pavement. "We had so much fun together. She loved playing board games with me. Sometimes I'd make up games of my own…she was always so excited and eager to learn the rules…

"When I was about seven, she dated and eventually married my Uncle Dean. He's a great guy, you know…funny and caring. He owned a small bar and sometimes he'd sneak me in and let me play the jukebox. Nell was so angry when she found out I'd used up almost all my money on that thing." She laughed to herself a little, but soon the smile faded away. "Then…Nell passed away…unexpectedly. The doctors said she had some kind of rare heart disease that had no outside symptoms. My 10th birthday had been just two days away…I spent the whole day in my room, crying. Dean understood though. He was so nice after she died – nicer than he was when she was alive. He comforted me, and promised that he would continue to take care of me."

My heart gushed out to her as I noticed her eyes watering a bit. She didn't cry though. She remained strong, even in her voice.

"And he did. His bar began to gain customers and success. Soon he moved it into a bigger location, added a few things…and renamed it The Pulse."

I glanced over at her in surprise. "Your uncle owns that club?"

She nodded. "He let me help behind the bar, waitressing at first. But I got bored with it quickly and during my breaks I would sing karaoke for the audience. Dean noticed how happy I was on stage, so he proposed that I start up an act. Eventually it just kind of turned into me becoming a sort of showgirl. He never had me do anything I didn't want to do, though. He had the idea to have me only spend time with guys afterwards if they formally requested me ahead of time." A few hairs slipped from her ear and fanned into her face, but she made no attempt to move them.

Without thinking about it much, I reached over and guided the stray hairs back with the others and tried to grin encouragingly.

She looked up at me and then sighed. "And that's what I've been doing for the past four years….since I was eighteen. That's all my life has become…singing, drinking…falling asleep on strange guys' cars…"

I smiled, but it left quickly. "If you're not happy, why don't you just leave and move on to something better? You should audition for American Idol or something."

"I can't. Not after everything Dean's done for me. He's been there for me for so long. I can't abandon him." There was a brief moment of silence before she turned to me, still walking and added, "So, that's my story. How about yours?"

I raised my eyebrows, caught off guard a little bit, but I quickly swallowed and smiled. "Um…definitely not as interesting as yours."

"Oh, let me guess – raised to become a sweet, goody-two-shoes kind of boy by an apple-pie-making mother and an All-American World's Greatest father. You were the popular high school quarterback that every girl wanted, but no one could have, and you are currently studying to become some kind of business man that will get you enough money to buy your folks a nice, relaxing home in Florida to retire."

I laughed. "Close."

She grinned at me with intrigue. "Oh yeah? What did I get wrong?"

"Well, the quarterback thing, for one. I was more of a…nerdy outsider to be honest."

"Okay, that was my second guess. What else?"

I bit my lip, shuffling my feet a little more than I usually do. The girl had just told be almost her whole life story. How was I suppose to answer to that without revealing anything about my origin?

"Clark?"

Gulp. "Nothing. I'm trying to think of something to prove you wrong, but…I guess you're just psychic."

She stuck a fist out into the night and then snapped it back towards her chest victoriously. "Yessss! I knew I had the power."

I tried to smile through my mental pain. It hurt to lie. But telling her the truth when she was still clearly upset about her parents' death was not something I wanted to get into.

After a few minutes of silence that were bordering on awkwardness, I decided to less than gracefully change the subject. "So….how's work going?"

"It's all right," she retorted. Suddenly she jolted in remembrance and pointed a finger at me. "Oh! I almost forgot! I meant to ask you a really big favor."

"Really? Me?" I wondered with curiousity.

"Well, Dean was thinking about doing a little remodeling at the club over the next few weeks. Nothing huge, just some color changes and stuff. Anyway, he also wants me to change up my singing act a little bit, annnnd….I was wondering if you'd consider doing a duet with me." She stopped in front of me, as we had finally arrived in front of her apartment. Her eyes gazed widely into mine with hope, a tiny smile hovering over her face as she waited for my answer.

I frowned, looking away from her tempting face. "Lana…I don't know…"

"Clark, come on. You're an amazing singer. You'd only have to do it on the first night that all the remodeling is finished. Just once, Clark. Pleeeaase?" She snatched my hands in hers squeezing them encouragingly. "It'll be fun. I promise."

I sighed in defeat. I didn't really feel up to it, but I knew I didn't have a choice. Plus, a duet meant a lot of rehearsals with her…more time then just a eight-minute walk home. "Okay. Just as long as I don't have to wear any glitter crap."

"Don't worry. I won't let the glitter people touch your face." She giggled and then hugged my torso like a preschooler to a teddy bear. "You're the best, Clark. I can't wait!"

I grinned, rubbing her back with only the friendliest of intentions. "When do you want to start rehearsing?'

"How about…every Friday night? I'll just tell Dean I can't take requests those nights and we can practice in my dressing room until closing time."

I pulled out of the hug and nodded once. "Sounds good."

"Okay, cool. And remember to drink lots of fluids – wouldn't want to let that angelic voice to go flat." She laughed as she backed away toward her apartment.

"Same goes for you, then. Bye, Lana."

"Bye!"

I stood there until she left my sight behind the door. As soon as she was gone, my smile began to reluctantly fade, recalling our conversation earlier. It gave me a horrible pain in my stomach, like something was eating it from the inside out. The thought of being the reason her parents were dead – and then lieing straight to her face – I could hardly bare to think of how she'd react when she found out the truth.

I wandered back to the dorm rooms and plopped down on my bed, staring up at the colorless ceiling and waiting carelessly for the sun to rise once again.

Yes, the news of her parents was indeed an obstacle. But it was an obstacle I was determined to break past.


	9. Chapter 8

Sorry this is a little later than I thought. And I won't be home tomorrow or the next day so updates will continue on Saturday most likely! Again, sorry about the delay. And thank you so much to those who have reviewed. It made me happy. :)

* * *

I was somewhat nervous that first Friday night, driving to the night club. I didn't know if I could continue to be around her, knowing that I'd brought so much pain into her life. What if she noticed me acting more distant? Or if I sang horribly because I couldn't concentrate?

But whether I was ready or not, the night went on. Soon enough, I was sitting in a small wooden chair of a room full of feathery, glittery costumes and a large lit up mirror over a desk decorated with bottles upon bottles of makeup.

Within a few minutes, Lana entered with a shaggy-haired guitarist named Sean who was going to accompany us as we practiced. I was a little less tense at that realization. If I got too uncomfortable looking at her, I could always stare at the guy's black acoustic guitar with vivid green flames shooting up the neck.

And to my surprise, the rehearsal went great, as well as all the ones after it. Lana had picked the perfect song and both of us picked up the lyrics quite quickly. Though, I did find that I inspected the directions of Seth's flame tips a lot more than Lana's beautiful face as she belted out her notes perfectly. I just couldn't bring myself to look at her for too long. Not just yet.

A few days before the opening night, Lana and I began practicing before the club opened so we could use the stage. Seth informed us though that the rest of the band would not be able to join us until the performance. The idea scared me a little – I'd never sang to live music before – but I figured if Lana could do this every night without a single flaw, then I certainly could too.

And then the day came. Somehow, Pete and the others found out about my show and didn't seem genuinely proud of me, but they didn't hesitate to cancel all their plans that night in order to attend my performance. I figured their eagerness was mostly because of all the women that would be there, but it was nice to know I had some support.

I arrived at the club a little earlier than Lana told me too. I walked in, stood on the soundless stage, and gazed out at the ghost of a club that would be jam-packed with people in just a few hours. People who were itching to hear music that would take their cares away. The butterflies officially set in for the night. Lots of pressure and stress flooded into my pumping heart.

"Hey, you're early." I turned to see Lana looking unsurprisingly gorgeous, even with her sweats, t-shirt, and lack of makeup. "That's actually a good thing because Louise wants to make sure your outfit is the right size."

"Outift? Wait, you just told me I'd be getting some clothes, not an…outfit." Flashbacks of the feathers and glitter in Lana's dressing room catapulted through my already nervous mind.

"Outfit as in clothes that go together."

I stared blankly, not finding any comfort in those words.

When she realized I wasn't going to try on the "outfit" of my own free will, she snatched one of my hands in her own and dragged me into the back hallway towards her dressing room. "Don't worry – it won't make you look gay."

I laughed at her assurance, and how much it actually calmed me down, as we entered into her room to meet an old woman, who I guessed was Louise, folding up some old costumes.

"Ah, there he is." The woman whirled around as soon as she noticed our presence and grabbed a pile of clothes from the nearby table, dropping them into my lap. "Here's your outfit for tonight. Lana and I will give you some privacy. Let me know when you're finished so I can hem it if I have to, ok Dear?"

"Ok. Thank you," I nodded with a smile. The swirling, fluttering feeling in stomach was vaguely subsiding with each passing second. No gay costume. And the sewing lady reminded me a lot of my mother. Very comforting.

After Lana and Louise exited, I eagerly switched into the outfit for tonight. Looking in the full-length mirror propped up in the corner for my convenience, I couldn't help but feel a little bit like a rock star.

Louise put me in a deep, forest green shirt with a twisty brown and olive-colored design that swirled and stretched like a tattoo from the center of the shirt all the way up and over my left shoulder. Over that was a dark brown, goatsuede blazer that fit on my shoulders comfortably. A simple pair of made-to-look-worn jeans and a pair of brown boots completed the look.

I couldn't wait to show off to Lana, but I _really_ couldn't wait to see what she had in store for me.

And I didn't have to wait long. I exited the dressing room, only to be mauled by both Louise and Lana who were more than excited that no hemming needed to be done. Lana entered the dressing room after me to get suited into her apparel (with Louise who insisted on helping to apply the makeup and to accomplish other girly needs).

Soon enough though, the door creeped open and out tip-toed the glammed-up, jaw-dropping Lana Lang. A silver ring encircled her neck and held up the front part of her pure white halter top, leaving her smooth, drool-worthy back completely open. A full-length, maroon-colored skirt flowed about her ankles as she turned to create the swishy, Bohemian-inspired effect. She had no shoes on her feet, but her toenails were freshly painted with a sparkling deep brown color.

And then I snapped my head back up to look at her face, mouth automatically falling open a little. Her hair was down and wavy with a brown, feathery clip pulled up one side of her hair just slightly. Her eyes faded from the dark mascara to a shimmering gold shadow, but just enough to keep things soft and welcoming. Her lips were shiny and moisted. Her hands clasped within each other.

"So? Do I look ok?"

I stared in a stupor for a few seconds before a shifted my weight from foot-to-foot, trying to catch my breath. "You look…you look great. Beautiful. Really, you're just…wow."

She laughed along with Louise and I could feel my cheeks deepen in their redness.

"Oh my! I almost forgot your makeup, Boy," Louise suddenly exclaimed brushing past Lana to guide me back into the dressing room.

"Wha – makeup?!"

"It's just some stuff to take the shine from your face. Stop worrying so much, Clark."

"Oh."

As Louise set me down in the chair facing the mirror to give me the first makeover of my life, I really wished this night would just get over with it. All the blind jumps from one extreme mood to another were beginning to churn my stomach the wrong way. I just hoped my dinner wouldn't come back up to haunt me. Especially on stage.

Hours passed like minutes. I paced back and forth down the hallway, slapping my thighs to the beat in my head as I mentally sang the song over and over. I'd forgotten my watch and I had yet to find somewhere or someone back stage that could tell me find the time. Every time I heard the door to the stage open, I jolted in my skin, scared to death that it was time to get out and strut my stuff.

After the third false alarm, I almost began to panic. My feet were literally getting cold. My hands wouldn't stay still and my heart couldn't pick a steady rhythm to follow.

"Cause I'm broken….lonesome…"

"You ready?"

"Wha!" I jumped at Lana's voice, feeling the cold, numb feeling shoot into my feet again. "We have to go out there now?"

"No, we still got a few more minutes. I was just wondering if you're ready," she clarified. She took a few curious steps towards me and instantly noticed the almost nauseous look on my face. "Hey…you okay?"

I smiled, feeling her warm, comforting hands in my own. "Not really. I don't know how you do this every night. I'm scared stiff."

She pulled an encouraging smile onto her lips, looking as though she wanted to laugh, but didn't. "It'll be fine, Clark. Just settle into the music. It's a lot more powerful with the whole band playing behind you. You just get swept away and it's like the audience isn't even there. It's an amazing feeling. And there's no one I'd rather share this with."

"Really?" That sounded a little fun, although the recollection of an audience wasn't easing my stomach pain. And neither was the sudden silence of the muffled DJ music that I had been hearing all night since the club had opened.

"Well, I guess Dean's introducing us. Better get out there."

"Right."

Lana slowly opened the door, revealing a large, impressive crowd crammed up against the stage and Dean billowing out his nightly spiel.

As we stood, waiting in the darkness just out of the spotlight, she continued to hold my hand, rubbing it gently as she whispered, "We're gonna knock 'em dead."


	10. Chapter 9

Apologizes to all again. I just got a lap top (yay!) and had to wait until I was able to get back on my older computer to retrieve the rest of the chapters. I will try to keep updating frequently!

Thanks again to all that have reviewed! I love you all:)

-----

"And here they are – Fox and Electraaaaa!!"

I laughed to myself as Lana and I rushed up on stage, giving everyone a small wave. 

Fox…interesting choice…I wondered if Lana picked it out.

But the thought escaped my conscious mind when we took our seats on the two wooden stools placed in front of two microphones. This was it. I glanced over at Lana who gave me another tiny smile before Sean started in with his guitar.

The crowd hushed down as they prepared to hear what Lana and I had in store for them. I kept one booted foot tapping to the beat to make sure I came in on the right part, and then let the first words of the song fall from my lips.

"I wanted you to know, that I love the way you laugh  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain."

Lana's voice suddenly slid into place with the music as the chorus sprang to life.

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

I suddenly found myself a bit lost. Not in the song, but because at this time I usually reverted to looking down at Sean's guitar. Since he was now placed behind me, I didn't know where to look, so as I sang the filler to Lana's verse, I kept my eyes out to the crowd like any good rock star would.

And then I silenced my voice to allow Lana her spotlight.

"The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away  
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain."

I'd never heard her sing it so beautifully. And the added instruments of the band – electric guitar, drums, everything – began to suck me in, just as Lana said it would. I found myself turning my gaze to her face, watching her eyes as they closed and then opened depending on what note she hit. I felt tingles everywhere as I joined in again with her.

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

My stomach swirled, but this time because of happiness and contentment. The audience indeed was out of my mind. My eyes were set on Lana and my feelings for her. It was like that magnetic feeling of wanting to be closer to her like I had experienced when we'd almost kissed in my dorm, but this time it was much more intense. So intense, I couldn't help but stand up, affectionately wrapping a hand around hers. We both took our mics in our hands and walked out in front of the stools, facing more towards each other than the now invisible people watching.

The song was nearing the end of the instrumental break and my body was practically bursting to sing out the words. They were just for Lana. My face was pulled into an almost pained expression as I continued to sing my heart out to the most amazing girl in the world.

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm open   
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

The ripping of the guitar and crash of the cymbols built up a crescendo of power through my veins. I entertwined my hands with Lana's, loving how she pulled the microphone away from her mouth when he held a note. Loving absolutely every single thing about her.

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

I couldn't keep my eyes away from hers. The closer the song got ending, the closer our bodies moved in together. The music enthralled me, sending all warning signs or shyness out the door. I wasn't thinking about the past or how I'd hurt Lana. I only felt pure happiness. Happiness and music.

By the time I'd sang out the last verse of the song, Lana's face was inches from mine. Our other hands joined together around our microphones and our ears drowned out the whistles and shouts from the crowd with the insistent beating of our hearts.

I felt her breath tickle my face and before I could think about anything else, I leaned in closer and whispered, "Lana…I love you."

Her mouth opened slightly in shock. Normally, I would've second-guessed myself, apologizing profusely, but inside I remained silent, smiling at her dazily…honestly. It almost came as a surprise to myself…I really did love her.

She stared into my eyes, seeing that what I'd just professed was the truth. Her gaze then fell to my lips.

I moved in slowly, and felt my heart pump like a million fireworks in my chest when she unexpectedly and impatiently jolted forward and I felt her lips on my own. This was nothing like the kiss she'd given me on my birthday. This was filled with not only passion, but love as well.

The feeling that kiss gave me was unforgettable. To this day I still get chills remembering it. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kisses that just felt right somehow. I have nothing…absolutely no other feeling to compare it to.

Once we pulled away, both of us were immediately thrust back into the screaming, clapping world we were surrounded by.

I could see Andrew whistling and Pete guffawing beside him. Tucker was clapping with one arm wrapped over the shoulders of an enthusiastic young vixen. I turned my head in the other direction to see Sean give me the thumbs up and a small smile through his sheet of matted hair.

And then I looked back at Lana, feeling my heart skip a beat. I couldn't stop smiling. I loved everything about this feeling. It was a natural high.

Eventually, Dean popped back up onto the stage, had Lana and me do our casual bows, and then allowed us to hop off the stage, hand-in-hand, to head back to the dressing rooms.

"Lana, that was – "

"Hey, Baby!"

We both stopped in our tracks as Lana whirled around to see a man rush up to us. He was a little scrony and short with a slick blonde hair. He wore a very nice dress shirt and black pants to complete his private-school-graduate look. I looked curiously back at Lana to see her reaction.

"Whitney!" Lana exclaimed in a weird tone. Halfway between happiness and panic.

My face dropped into a bewildered expression and my heart dropped a little when I felt her yank our hands apart.

"Looks like you've still been having all the fun without me, haven't you?" he said in a snarky-like manner.

"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were with your father on a business trip till the end of the year." Lana was obviously taken off guard and I felt bad that I couldn't figure out a way to ease her thoughts and possibly get her hand back into mine.

"Yeah, well, you know my dad – busy guy. He couldn't stay at the trip that long. Had some other stuff to deal with, so we're rescheduling the end of the business meetings in a couple months."

The whole time he explained himself, his eyes were fixed onto me, even looking me up and down once. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes to stare back at him in anger and confusion.

"Who is this?" he suddenly asked unimpressed, looking over at Lana.

"I'm Cl – "

"Fox. His name's Fox. He was my partner for the duet you just heard. He's pretty good, don't you think?" Lana interrupted quickly.

"Yeah…" He then snapped his head back towards me, moving in a little closer as if to threaten me. "So what was up with that kiss at the end…_Fox_?"

I opened my mouth to tell the jerk off and explain that our relationship was getting pretty serious, when Lana interrupted once again.

"God, stop being so over dramatic, Whitney. It was just part of the act." She turned to look unblinkingly into my eyes. "Wasn't it, Fox?"

Her glare was timid, yet stern, as if to say, "Agree with me or all hell will break loose."

I took a deep breath and turned back to look Whitney in the eye. "Absolutely. Just relax, man."

His eyes moved from me, to Lana, and back to me again, not losing their doubt in our little lie. "It better not have meant a thing."

"Whitney, you know that kissing is just part of the business." She then wrapped an arm around my bicep, tugging me towards the back rooms. "Look, we have to get changed so, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"I'll be waiting. Hurry back." He gave me one last intense glare, before Lana pulled me completely behind the door to the dressing rooms.

As soon as I heard the crack of the door closing, I turned to face Lana, heart pumping with questions.

"Who the hell was that guy?"

Somewhat to my surprised, Lana hardly made eye contact with me as she ran a hand over her face in a worrisome look. It was painstakingly obvious she was hiding something.

"Lana – "

"Look, Clark, I have some requests and things to take care of, so…" she dropped her hand from her face and quickly looked up at me, clearly showing her now tear-filled eyes, "…so just…you can keep your outfit. Just go home and meet me later on tonight like we always do, okay?"

I shook my head, holding onto her shoulders just enough to keep her attention. "No, I want to know what's going on. Why did you pull away from me when you saw him? Why did we lie?"

"Clark, PLEASE, just leave. I promised I'll tell you tonight." She rushed into her dressing room and slammed the door closed before I could get another word out.

I stood there for a minute, heartbroken and crushed. I stared at her door, a little too afraid to x-ray it because of all the sobbing I heard through it even without my super hearing.

Who was this guy? Why did Lana panic and tell him the kiss was just part of the act? Was that what it really was to her? Had that unforgettable kiss really just been an embellishment to the song? Was this Whitney fellow her boyfriend?

Eventually I decided it was best to just wait until tonight to get answers. As I walked down the streets outside, I wondered if I even wanted to know those answers. I was pretty sure no matter what she said, my heart wouldn't feel half as good as it had only minutes before.


	11. Chapter 10

It was only midnight, but I didn't go home. I just walked. For two hours I walked around downtown, hardly thinking about anything because it hurt so much. I kicked gravel, smiled briefly to passersby, and waited. I was almost envious of my old self – getting things done without the complication of feelings and emotions getting in my way.

I began to worry about my thesis. I hadn't worked on it much since I met Lana. What would I do if suddenly Lana and I were no more? Would I even be able to concentrate in college? 

My mind was troubled with unanswered questions and stressful worries, until I finally noticed Lana slip out of the back door of The Pulse.

With the help of a tiny bit of super speed, I was behind her in a flash. "So?"

She turned to me, her face still filled with sadness, but no tears. Her lips pursed together, as she tried desperate to think of a way to start her story. "Clark, I swear, I never meant to hurt you."

I swallowed, preparing myself for what I thought was the worst. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

She looked down, her face cringing to stop any more tears from forming in her eyes.

A small whisper emitted from her lips. "No."

I stared at her in confusion, not sure whether I should be relieved or not.

She took a breath as she began the familiar walk towards her apartment. "When I met him, he was just another guy who enjoyed requesting me. I didn't think anything of him. But the more times he requested me, the more times he attended the club until he was coming almost every night."

I followed next to her, not daring to speak. I had to hear this story.

"After a while, he started to tell me how we were meant for each other – and one day we were going to be married."

My hands automatically clenched into tight, rock-hard fists. All I wanted to do was pound that loser's face in. I couldn't believe this was happening, but I tried to remain calm. "And?"

"And the next day, Dean got a phone call. It was Lionel Luthor, asking to meet with Dean that afternoon." Lana stopped everything – walking and talking. She was turned away from me, eyes darting from lampposts to windows until she finally gained the confidence to look at me again. "Whitney is Lionel Luthor's youngest son."

A large lump rose in my throat. It couldn't be…

"Lionel told Dean that if I didn't marry Whitney, The Pulse would go up in flames and neither Dean nor I would get another decent-paying job for the rest of our lives. And Dean…he tried to fight him at first, but he's Lionel Luthor…he can do pretty much anything." She sighed, rubbing her faces in her hands with dread. "We were scheduled to be married when he got back from his trips in Europe, but now that they've been delayed…it might happen sooner than I thought…I can't help but think that Whitney talked his father into coming back early just so we could make it sooner..."

It felt as though I'd been driving blindfolded, and my eyesight had been restored just seconds before my car collided into a brick wall. Maybe if I'd known about this before I was informally introduced to Whitney I could figure out a way – even if only temporary – that I could stop this, but now…it seemed like there was nothing I could do.

I slowly swallowed the lump that had been in my throat since the news, trying to think of what to say. A lot in my mind was telling me it was hopeless, but I was too stubborn to listen or even acknowledge that was there. "Well…there has to be a way around this. I – "

"No, Clark, please don't waste your time trying to help me. Dean and I have already tried." She sighed, turning away from me. "This is why I never told you – I knew how you would be. I knew you'd want to save me somehow and it just…it won't work."

"You can't say that, Lana. You can't give up." I moved closer to her, twirling her back around to face me, proving that I wasn't going to back down easy. "This is your life. And you shouldn't marry someone you don't love."

She slowly looked up into my eyes meaningfully, but then dropped the gaze with a shrug, backing away from me a bit. "I never said I didn't love him."

My mouth dropped. "Come on, Lana. The guy is taking complete advantage of you. He doesn't love you just as much as you don't love him. The only reason he's with you is because you'd make a perfect trophy wife in the Luthor family."

"You only saw him for two minutes, Clark. Why are you so quick to judge?" With anger, she trudged off towards her apartment on her own. After about four feet, she turned around and added, "You know, maybe we don't really love each other all that much now, but we'll have the rest of our lives to learn how to do that. I'd rather be with him than spend the rest of my life on the streets, pretending like love doesn't exist."

I stared at her with the biggest look of confusion on my face. "When we first met, you told me you weren't allowed to love. So either that was a lie, or what you just spat at me a few seconds ago is."

She bit her lip, still angry, but now looking mildly defeated. "It doesn't matter, Clark. The fact is that I'm getting married and…it's probably best if we just…didn't see each other anymore."

I narrowed my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief. "How can you even suggest that, Lana?"

"I'm serious, Clark. Stay away from me before the Luthors' see you as a threat." She turned back around to leave.

"Just tell me one thing," I exclaimed, causing her to stop in her tracks.

She reluctantly looked back again, trying not to look interested and trying to hide her watery eyes. "What?"

I took a deep breath, preparing to learn the answer to the one question that really bothered me. "When I told you that I loved you on that stage…why did you kiss me back?"

She stared at me plainly, already giving me the answer I needed, but her words added to the received feeling. "Because…because no one's ever told me that they loved…me before. It's usually 'I love you, Electra' or 'I love you, Baby'…" Her mind dazed off for a moment, as though as was trying to really grasp on how it felt to be loved, but she tugged herself out of that moment as she continued, "…it was just a change…it caught me it off guard is all." I saw the faint trail of a tear reflect on her cheek from the lamppost's light. "I'm really sorry that I lead you on, Clark."

She quickly made her way across the street.

"You can't tell me you didn't feel anything from that kiss, Lana! LANA!"

But her small frame was already out of hearing distance.

My heart was bruised. Just bruised though. Not broken. Hearts only break when the one you love completely ignores or forgets how much you mean to them.

And I knew, without a doubt, that Lana hadn't done either. She was just confused. Underneath the surface, her love for me was there. It was so easy to see that I had no doubt in my mind that Lana would never love Whitney. Her heart already belonged to me.

But the bruise still hurt. It hurt a lot that she was willing to throw away what we could have had because she was scared of the Luthors. All the words she said to me – especially the part where she thought we shouldn't see each other again – didn't go unnoticed by my ears. Maybe it was courageous that she was going to give up her happiness in order to save her uncle's future, but I couldn't stand back and let it happen.

Lana was right. I did feel it was my duty to save her. From the first moment I saw her I felt as though I had to save her. It had been my goal from the beginning.

By the time I'd gotten home that night, I had the rough draft of a plan forming in my head. It had some holes and some big leaps that would require me to cross my fingers to ensure that they would go through successfully, but it would work. It had to work. I couldn't bare the thought of a life without Lana. It wasn't even an option.

And while I was smoothing out the fuzzy parts of my strategy, Lana had found her way home as well. Not planning, but thinking. Confused, crying, and thinking.

She sat, one leg tucked under her on the couch as she ran a hand through her lengthy curtain of hair. Her eyes were wet and stingy, but she was too preoccupied in her own mind to do anything about it.

A quick tap came at her door. She looked up in surprise, squeezing her fingers under her eyes to soak up the tears as she asked, "Who is it?"

"Dean."

A sigh of relief came from her lungs, as she gave up trying to act as though she hadn't been crying. "Come in."

Dean slowly slipped into the small apartment, a friendly smile shining on his face. "Hey, Hun. You did amazing tonight. You and Clark…you're just – "

"Dean, Whitney's back."

He suddenly stopped his praises and looked down at the ground sadly. "I know."

Lana joined him in examining her shaggy rug, not sure of what to say next. But, she figured now was a good a time as any. "I…I told Clark about him."

Dean's eyes shot back to hers in a shock that almost borderlined on anger. "What?"

"Whitney got all on him about the kiss on the stage and later Clark wanted to know why and I just…I didn't know what to say – "

"You should have lied – told him the boy was drunk. Something! Anything but the truth! Why would you do that?" Dean asked, bringing to panic a little.

"Dean, you have to understand…Clark's…Clark's not like any other guy I've ever met. He's genuine and smart and sweet and just…" She picked at her nails as a distraction to the heavy conversation she was involved in. "…I trust him."

He looked away from her, rubbing the vein that had just popped from his forehead. He wandered over to the mirror by the door and watched at Lana's reflection over his shoulder dejectedly. "I knew this would happen if I wasn't too careful."

She stared back at his face in the mirror with curiosity. "What would happen?"

"If you crossed enough guy's paths…you'd find one that tugged at your heartstrings." He turned away from the reflective surface in shame. "I always thought that it would be something to be celebrated, but…it's just made things too complicated."

"It's not your fault…" Lana assured from her place on the couch.

He sat down next to her with a nod. "And it isn't your fault either. So it doesn't seem fair that we should both suffer for what's happened to us."

She took her uncle's hand in her own with encouragement, but wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"So how did Clark take the news?"

The tears threatened to trinkle down her eyes, so she began blinking profusely, trying to keep her cool. "Not very well. I told him to stop seeing me."

Dean nodded once again, keeping his focus on their hands. "I see."

"It hurt so much to push him away, Dean." She buried herself in her uncles chest, letting the crying ensue. "S-so…m-m-much." Sniff. "….He told me he loved me…me…Lana Lang…and I realized…I love him, too. I really…really do..."

Dean's eyes squeezed closed as he tried to fight his own inner tear demon. To him, it had always felt like it was his fault she was bound to Whitney. If he'd never let her work at the club, she wouldn't be in this position. She would be living a semi-normal life and would learn that love didn't always have to be unreachable. What had simply started as a job in a club turned into a flood of guilt deep inside his heart. "I know. I'm sorry, Sweetie. I'm so…so sorry."

He had no other words of comfort for his niece. Nothing he could say would fill the gap in her heart or the similar sized one in his.

It was all up to me.


	12. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews, everybody. I'm still trying to get this all up as fast as I can :)

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The next day I met up with the peppy, news-junky, blonde Planet intern that is my friend – Chloe Sullivan. 

Chloe was probably the one of the only exceptions in my life, mostly because 1) she was my first real friend and 2) the first person outside of my family to find out my secret.

It had happened by accident when I was a sophomore in high school. Chloe had followed me home one time to see if she could borrow my notes for class, and caught me doing a little more than humanly possible. The undercover pretty much scared the crap out of her and she was silent about it for a while, before finally admitting to me what she saw.

My parents had flipped out. I'd never seen them more scared or upset. Luckily, though, Chloe turned out to be a wonderful surprise – very different to the many people who would've taken advantage of my secret. We set her straight on what I was exactly, and although she accepted it, her parents somehow picked up on the "weird vibes" I was giving her and moved to Metropolis within the following weeks.

Having one of my only friends left town because of me really hurt (not to mention put a damper on my reputation at school), but I knew it wasn't her fault. We reunited on the Met U campus and met once every few months just to update each other on our lives. Like that day I'd requested we met at the local coffeehouse.

She arrived at my table, naturally bouncy and peeked. "Well, if it isn't Clark Kent, International Man of Mystery."

I threw her an unamused expression. "I thought we could be serious for minute, Chloe?"

She slowly sat down in front of me, as though I might jump out and bite her any second. "O – kay. Sure. The Happy Fun Chloe is off for the next few minutes. What's up?"

I filled her in about everything that had happened over the past few weeks. From my birthday (which she apologized about missing and promised to get me something as soon as she had money) to yesterday. I was surprised at how silent she was throughout the whole story. Not one random, interruptive question until she was sure I was finished.

"Wow…Clark that's…amazing." She gazed at me admiringly. "I don't remember you ever feeling this strongly about any girl before."

"Because I haven't." I sighed and looked down at my coffee mug in realization. "She's just…I really think she's my soulmate. We connect so easily. I mean we've only known each other for about a month…but I feel like we've known each other forever."

"Well, we gotta get you lovebirds back together ASAP, so what can I do?" she wondered with interest, rubbing her hands together like a mad scientist.

"Well, no offense, but you're kind of just the bridge I need to get in touch with someone else."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to follow my stream of conscienceness. "Lex Luthor."

"You know me too well, Chlo."

She smiled modestly, but then frowned. "Wait, isn't Lex a friend of yours? Why do you need me?"

"Well, he was sort of a friend. But ever since Lionel basically disowned him, I have no idea where he is. I figured I'd just wait until he got back in touch with me, but it seems I'm gonna need him a bit sooner than he needs me."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. But this is a Luthor you want me to get into contact with, remember? They're slippier than snakes and twice as dangerous."

I closed my eyes and shook my head knowingly. "Lex is different. He'll help me, I just know it. Especially when it involves his father and Whitney. He always told me he hated his little brother."

Chloe smirked devilishly. "So you're fighting fire with fire? Or, in this case, Luthor with Luthor?"

I raise my eyebrows hopefully. "I'm gonna try."

To my surprise, Chloe reached out and rested a hand on mine, getting my eyes to look back up at her. "I promise I will do whatever I can to help, Clark. Normally, I would be mildly pissed that I'm just the search engine at this particular moment, but frankly…I'm honored to be involved in this romantic love chase."

I laughed. "So, in other words, you're just intrigued by the great story it's going to make."

"That, and it happens to involve my good, old friend." Her smile fell a little as she continued. "Seriously, Clark…I really want you to be happy. To be honest, there always seemed to be something missing in you, even when we were kids. You just never seemed like you were completely happy. I'm glad to help make that change."

I nodded with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Chloe."

"Well," Chloe began, standing up and slipping her purse over her shoulder, "I guess I better get back to the Planet, turn in my article, and possibly get started on this Luthor hunt."

"Yeah… and Chloe?" I almost kicked myself for not just saying, "Goodbye," but I had to know something.

"Hm?"

"Um…" I stood as well, looking around to make sure no one could hear my stupid question, "…do you…do you think she loves me?"

Her eyebrows raised slightly in confusion.

"I mean…" I leaned in closer, feeling more stupid every second that I'd even brought the subject up, "…in my heart I feel it, but…she never actually told me. When I told her, she just kissed me, and…in…in retrospect she could've done that just to shut me up from saying anything else. Maybe she doesn't feel the same way. What if she really doesn't want to be with me? How - ?"

"Oh my gosh, Clark," She grabbed my shoulder and looked directly into my eyes, "She loves you, Clark. Take it from a woman. We don't always proclaim how we feel, but that doesn't mean we don't feel that way. Just look at the facts – you're her only confidant, you kissed, and she was on the verge of crying when she thought she'd never see you again."

I considered her words for a moment and smiled in satisfaction. "You're right. I just…I guess I'm just second-guessing everything cause I'm nervous. I've never been in this situation before. I don't know what to do…how to act…"

"It's pretty simple, Clark," she explained patting the center of my chest. "Follow your heart."

As she walked away in her usual Chloe-like bounce, I couldn't help but let her words water my smile until it grew into a full-on cheesy grin.

I was following my heart instead of my head…for once in my life. I never thought it would feel this free or invigorating. In the heart's mindset, feelings aren't told, they are felt. Actions are done on impulses instead of through clearly thought-out plans or tactics.

Maybe the heart had a lot more risks involved, but I knew the outcome would be worth it – the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

All I had to do was win.

………..

That night, I hid in an alley way on the route between the club and Lana's apartment. As soon as I saw the first glimpse of her figure walk past, I jumped from the alleyway and pulled her backwards, letting the shadows swallow us into the night.

She attempted to shriek, but I covered her mouth with my hand, until she could see my face fully.

"Shhh…calm down…it's just me."

A look of both shock and anger covered her face. "Clark! Wha - ! What the hell?!" She pushed me away from her, dove straight into my arms, and then pushed me away again, adding a swift punch to my shoulder. "You scared me to death! Why did you do that?!"

"I'm sorry! Sorry!" I said, adding more sincerity the second time I said it. "I didn't think anyone should see us together."

She looked into my eyes and my heart truthfully felt like it was breaking for her. Her eyes were still a swirling hazel, but they were also a little faded somehow. Small, almost unnoticeable bags appeared under her eyes – unnoticeable to everyone but me.

She was suffering as much as, if not more than, I was during that week of separation. It felt like our feelings were forcibly locked away in a museum – only able to be observed, but never touched or acted upon.

Her body then reflexively fell back into mine, this time not daring to pull away again. In fact, with each passing second, her grip around my waist grew tighter. She muttered in a faint whisper, "I've missed you."

"I definitely know the feeling," I retorted, rubbing her petite back with comfort, smiling at the grasp she had on me. "How are things with Whitney?"

She loosened her grip enough to look back up at me. "He's stopped all requests for me from anyone else at the club. He waits for me to come home sometimes. He wants us to get married sometime next week."

I clenched my jaws, clamping my hands on her shoulders firmly, but not harmfully. "It's not going to happen, Lana. I have a plan."

"No," she protested, throwing my hands off her quickly as she backed away. "I told you to let it go, Clark."

"Let the only women I've ever loved go?!" I asked appallingly. Snatching up her hands and holding them as though I'd never get to touch her again, I added, "Lana, my heart belongs to you. And I don't want it back. I can't do it. I can't leave you behind. I will never do that to you. Never."

Everything I'd said came immediately from my heart and out my mouth, without any stops in between. By the time I was finished, both of us were watery-eyed and filled with so many conflicting emotions – regret, pain, happiness, insanity - I was on the verge of shaking because of it.

She sighed at the ground, then gained enough courage to look into my eyes, although they were obviously red and heavy with sadness. "Clark, I love you…and that's what scares me the most. I've let myself care this much about someone…and if Whitney ever finds out who you really are…he'll use you to get to me." She blinked away a few tears as she continued. "I…I don't know how I could go on if I ever learned that you were hurt or…worse…because of me."

I shook my head with a smile, happy for once about my Kryptonian origin. "He won't hurt me."

"How can you know that?" she disputed. "These are the Luthor's we're talking about. They know exactly how to get to people – how to play them. You won't win."

"I know Whitney's older brother Lex. My friend Chloe is tracking him down for me. And if I'm right, he'll be able to help us," I admitted, subconsciously tucking a stray piece of hair behind her hair. "Until then, we can keep this a secret. Whitney will never suspect a thing."

Although I could tell she was slowly falling under my spell, she closed her eyes, shaking her head again. "No, we shouldn't be around each other until we're sure Whitney's not in the picture..."

"No. No, I can't wait that long until I can see you again, Lana. Please," I begged honestly. Twenty one years of pent-up loneliness was more than enough for me to carry on my shoulders. I didn't want to be with her – I needed to be with her.

She bit her lip in thought, keeping her eye contact away from mine, obviously knowing that if she looked at me for too long, she would give in much easier. "I just…I don't want to risk losing you…"

"You won't." I never stopped holding onto her hands – I needed as much contact with her as I could get.

We both looked down and watched her hands enclosed in mine, her thumbs sliding over my knuckles softly. I moved my gaze from our hands to her downward facing expression, and couldn't help the grin on my lips as I noticed her face becoming just as happy.

"We have to be…so careful," she whispered.

My grin turned into a toothy smile. "Yeah."

Her head slowly rose, and I subconsciously felt a chill tingle up my spine. An unknown attraction brought us closer and closer until finally I felt that familiar jolt of passion and love as we connected in another kiss.

I was instantly addicted to her taste, her breath…everything. Although it sounds a bit stupid, I always felt our kisses were like putting on the Ring of Power. We both disappeared into a strange, different world where no one else could see us. It felt powerful. My whole body responded positively and pulled Lana closer both physically and emotionally.

Eventually though, Lana pulled her lips away, reluctantly ending the kiss we'd both wanted since that last time we saw each other.

I tried to act cool and casual after the kiss, but it wasn't working. I felt dazed and fuzzy…nothing like the sly guy I wanted to be. My cheeks reddened when I heard her laugh. My eyes opened, but felt tired and dreamy-like. It was as though my wish to talk to Lana again had been the only thing keeping me awake this whole time. I took a deep breath which automatically turned into a yawn, making her giggle more.

"My kisses make you tired?"

"You're like the Sandwoman."

She leaned forward, letting our foreheads touch and our gazes flow directly into each other. "I should go. We both need sleep."

Dreams of spending the night with her clouded my head, but I knew it would never happen. Not yet anyway. "You're probably right."

We sadly pulled away from each other, but still connected by one hand...not ready to let the other go completely.

I toyed with her fingers as she moved farther away every second. "When can we see each other again?"

She looked at with narrowing eyes as she thought about it. To my excitement, her expression transformed into a devilish, yet sexy grin. "How about Monday? Same time, same place."

My eyebrows furrowed at her grin as I responded, my voice riddled with confusion. "Ooookay…"

"Great."

"Why do I think you've got something up your sleeve?"

"…because I might." Our hand-holding dwindled down to just our index fingers until she finally moved too far out of my reach. "Goodnight, Clark."

"Goodnight, Lana." As she disappeared from view, I suddenly rushed out onto the sidewalk and added, "Dream about me!"

She whirled around, her eyes widening as she put a finger to her lips to quiet me down. She then continued walking away, but I could her that bubbly giggle…a sound that filled my soul with happiness.

And I knew she would dream about me that night.


	13. Chapter 12

Monday couldn't come quick enough and I ended up waiting in the same alleyway two hours ahead of time because my brain couldn't function doing anything else. I couldn't even bring myself to stop by the coffeehouse. All available brain cells were used in thinking of what kind of idea Lana could have cooked up in her head.

Sex crossed my mind. Multiple times. And just the thought brought out extreme excitement, but also a little fear. Sure, I'd would have loved to be with her like that, but I really wanted to make sure she knew all of me – especially the connection between my arrival and the death of her parents – before our relationship, or whatever it was at point, was to go any further. It just didn't seem right to be any less than completely honest before something so amazing happened between us.

I finally came to the conclusion that if sex was in store for me that night, that I would just have to muster up some courage and rake through the hard, honest story and then hope for the best.

Finally, after hours of agonizing anticipation, I heard the familiar clicking of heels advancing towards me on the cold pavement …

…and suddenly, they stopped.

I stood from the brick wall I had been leaning against, ears keenly alert, and stared at the open end of the alley, waiting impatiently for her to appear. My heart began to race with each second that I didn't hear her clicking into my sight.

At the very moment I was going to turn on my x-ray vision to see what had happened, a small body leaped from behind the brick corner into my arms, taking me completely off guard and pushing me backwards against the dingy wall.

"Lana! God...you freaked me out. I thought someone had kidnapped you for a minute there," I admitted seriously as I let her slide down from my chest to link her arms at my waist like she always seemed to enjoy doing.

"Just getting you back for that 'pretend abduction' you played on me last week," she retorted truthfully.

Although it still bothered me that she'd scared me so bad, I let the smile on my face stretch and my heart skipped a beat as I remembered why we were together so late at night. "So…what is this masterful plan you concocted last week that requires my presence?"

She avoided my eyes, looking down innocently. "Well…it just so happens that Whitney has gone out of town for a few days…" her eyelashes flashed her entrancing eyes back into my own, gazing at me with enough desire to ignite something dangerous inside me.

My mouth opened slightly in shock as I spoke hopefully. "Really?"

She nodded quickly and licked her lips as her eyes fell to my lips.

It was as though I was back in that booth on my birthday, feeling dry-mouthed and shaky. And she was the extremely gorgeous singer who I figured would never look in my direction without a fist full of cash.

And, once again, I found myself under her control instead of the other way around. I knew I couldn't refuse her proposition even if I wanted to. My mind was definitely not in charge that night.

"I just…don't know what I'm gonna do tonight with no phone calls or visits from him…" she admitted with fake concern. She then leaned in close to my ear, lowing her voice seductively, "…any suggestions?"

Her whisper sent a tickling chill up my spine and caused her to emit a tiny giggle. I closed my eyes and smiled. "Heh…well…um…I think we can figure out something…"

She suddenly backed away, walking out of the alley, but still sending me a hungry, excited smile. "Yeah…"

The walk to her apartment, to put it bluntly, was full of the hottest mobile-kissing I've ever experienced. We were nearly hit twice from forgetting to wait for the 'walk' signs at the crosswalks.

I'd never been more tempted to use my super sped in plain sight of bystanders in my life.

Her lips were stirring and bubbling all kinds of wonderful feelings in me. I wasn't sure exactly how far we were going to go that night, but I honestly didn't care. No matter how many bases we would reach, I'd have Lana to myself and, at that point, that's really all I cared about.

"Clark...Clark, I need to find my key," She protested, pushing me away with a giggle (which succeeded in refueling my urge to kiss her more) as I attempted to attack her neck.

We'd finally reached the hallway of her apartment. In a more normal situation, I would've taken in my surroundings, maybe complimented the neatness or décor.

But honestly, I have no idea what it looked like in there. I couldn't stop staring at Lana's flushed face and intense eyes as she tried to unlock the door as quickly as possible or halt the laughter that came from my throat as I heard her addictive giggle that drove me up the wall.

I'd planned on backing her into the nearest furniture and spending the next few minutes exploring her lips (and…certain other assets). I also planned on possibly thinking of a good way to begin the alien conversation in case we both got a little too carried away.

But my few seconds of quick planning proved to be useless as we finally got through the apartment's threshold and were met with a stiff, serious silhouette of a man sitting in a chair near the window. The lengthy fingers of his right hand silently reached out and plucked the chain of the nearest lamp, revealing his identity.

I stood straight, smile dropped and body frozen. Lana side-stepped away from me, but I knew she felt the numbing feeling I was already becoming familiar with.

My mind tried to come up with some clever, ingenious way to explain why Lana and I had rushed giddily to her apartment at two in the morning with matching red faces, but no excuses came. Not even to me – the guy who'd spent his whole life lying and making excuses.

I knew it was very bad situation. And Whitney hadn't even said a word yet.


	14. Chapter 13

I'll be expecting my imaginary money in the imaginary mail soon, **ClanaLover4Life!**. :P

* * *

"What…what're are you doing here…in Metropolis?" Lana asked in a voice that did a bad job at acting calm.

"Forgive me, Lana, but…telling you that I would be out of town for the next couple of days was a lie." Whitney stood, feeling quite in the right and dignified as he slowly slinked towards us. His gaze inevitably fell on me as he narrowed his eyes and added, "Seems we're both pretty good at lieing to the other…aren't we?"

"Whitney, Fox was just – "

"I don't want to hear anymore of your stupid cover-ups! Give me a little credit, Sweetie - I'm not stupid enough to really believe that you and this ahole aren't doing something behind my back!" He spat with venomous rage as he took the palms of both of his bony hands and shoved me backwards warningly.

Lana rushed in between us, attempting use her meager stature to protect me. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt you – "

"No, of course not! Because of course it wouldn't hurt me to see you with another guy, let alone one named _Fox_." He scanned me up and down again and then turned towards Lana in amazement. "Come on, Lana. Just look at him. It's clear that he's a broke college student who couldn't provide you with so much as a blow up couch. How could you see more in him than in me? I'm more of a man than he'll ever hope to be. I'm a Luthor!"

"You're a money-loving jacka, Whitney. You only want me for my looks. Fox sees me for who I truly am."

"Shut up, woman! You're nothing but a backstabbing whore!"

Whitney's eyes burned with anger as he grabbed Lana by the wrists and launched her across the living room, letting her land painfully on the hard, wooden floor.

Adrenaline shot threw my core as I grabbed the collar of Whitney's shirt. "Don't you ever fking treat her like that, you son of a btch!" I shouted through clenched teeth as I brought up one tightly-squeezed fist, aiming it at his cheekbone and more than ready to let it fly.

But suddenly my stomach lurched and my muscles quivered. I felt as though my very life was draining away…my mind whirled with fright as I realized there was only one thing in the world that made me feel that way…

It was then that I noticed a small class ring on Whitney's right ring finger that held a glowing, green stone of kryptonite in its center just before I collapsed onto the floor from the aching pain.

"What's the matter, dude? Have a little too many drinks with _my_ fiancé earlier tonight?" Whitney guessed as he moved over me, increasing the flesh-eating feeling that coursed through my veins.

Without warning, I felt the sharp toe of his dress shoe stab my stomach. I squeaked and coughed, causing Whitney to burst into an evil fit of laughter. Another jab to my stomach had my eyes bulging and my cough increasing almost to the point where I thought I might throw up. I could feel my cheek begin to stick to the wood floor beneath it from the beads of sweat that slid down my face.

"What a pansy…couldn't even get one damn swing in." He shook his head with amusement. "You look so helpless. Too bad the pain you're feeling now is your own fault. Maybe next time you'll remember not to steal a girl from a Luthor."

"She's not…yours…" I spat out as loud and determined as possible. "and she…never will be…"

"What's that?" he asked ignorantly, putting a hand behind his ear as though he was hard of hearing. "You need a kick to the groin to get my point across? Why, sure I can help with that."

I closed my eyes, mentally psyching myself up for the worst, but to my surprise, no pain came. Instead, I heard a loud noise that sounded like breaking glass and I cautiously opened my eyes to see Whitney unconscious on the floor, the back of his head slightly damp with blood and Lana – my hero – standing over him with a jagged end of a bottle in her hand.

"Oh God…oh my God…are you alright?" She fell down to my side, holding my face in her hands carefully.

"That ring…Whitney's class ring…" I pointed towards his hand frantically, "…get rid of his ring."

"His ring? Why?"

"Just do it. Please…" I urged, clenching my jaw in agony and wishing Lana would move faster. "Get it as far away from here…as quick as you can…"

She nodded in confusion, but reached over and jerked his ring off anyway. She dashed into the bathroom and I heard the clank as she dropped it in the toilet and the flush as it whirled away from my aching body.

By the time she came back into the living room, my stomach was almost fine. I no longer had trouble breathing, though still acting like I did to keep things realistic.

"Are you alright?" she asked, pulling on my bicep to help me rise from the floor.

"Yeah…I'll be okay." Once I was standing fully, I held onto Lana's shoulder's inspecting her quickly. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

To my surprise, she winced at my grip on her arms and before she could protest, I moved my hand to see a small gash on her arm. She quickly shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

I wasn't ready to let the subject of her injury drop, but I knew we couldn't say here much longer. My heart began to pound harshly in my chest. "We need to get out of here…Whitney's going to wake up soon."

Lana bit her lip as she looked around, trying to help me think. "Ok…we could…go to Dean's. Oh no, but Whitney would look there. Um…we could…"

"We could go to my place."

"Your place?"

"Whitney doesn't know who I am. He still thinks I'm Fox," I whispered, just in case Whitney was awake and just pretending to be knocked out.

Lana considered the suggestion for a minute and then nodded. "Alright. Okay. Um…I should call Dean and let him know what's going on."

"Okay. Use your cell phone and call him on the way there. And get some clothes together," I suggested, still keeping my voice low and my words vague. I suddenly felt like those runaways in the movies – so many things to remember and consider. I wasn't sure how long Lana would have to stay with me and I wasn't sure how long my dorm would be safe for us. Whitney was not one to drop any problem – especially one that involved an attractive woman.

But I was very willing to put up a good fight for her.

Lana moved fairly fast around her apartment, scooping up some clothes into a bag and snatching her cell phone. Luckily I had used the truck to drive down to the alleyway to pass the time, so within the next ten minutes, we snuck into my dormitory bathrooms to change.

Lana insisted on cleaning her cut up herself, but I finally broke her down. Just looking at the injury she sustained because she was trying to defend me…it made me hurt too.

"Really, it's not that bad, Clark," she said for the fourth time as I soaked up some of the blood from her injury with a damp cloth.

"It doesn't matter," I admitted truthfully as I search for a bandage in the first aid kit I'd quickly snatched from Pete's dresser drawer. "The guy actually threw you down, Lana. I can't even…if you ever actually married him what he'd – "

"Clark, please…just…" I glanced in the mirror to see that she'd closed her eyes intolerantly, "…I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to talk about anything."

I pursed my lips and decided to finished up her cut in silence. I could tell she was tired, stressed, and scared. For once, avoiding the problem as much as possible really felt like the right thing to do.

We slipped back into the dorm room which was sans Pete because he had now practically moved in with Shannon. Lana had changed into some fuzzy blue pajama pants and a plain white tank top and still seemed as though she were effortlessly dazzling a stage as she curled into my bed.

I dragged my blue-boxer-shorts-and-gray-Met-U-shirt-wearing self over to Pete's bed when I heard a small voice tickle my ears from the other side of the room.

"Clark?"

I subconsciously smiled. "Mhm?"

"Stay over here with me."

I felt a million butterflies fluttering for joy as I meandered back over to my side of the room without hesitation and squished onto the side opposite Lana. "Don't kick me off."

The giggle that made each day a little brighter trickled from her lips as she closed her eyes, but still turning her head to face me. "I'll try not to."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight…" I almost fell into a complete sleep when I suddenly felt her arm run over my chest, hugging my waist tightly as she added, "I love you, Clark."

"I love you too, Lana," I proclaimed as I kissed her forehead gently. I slipped my own arm under her and rested my hand on her back, affectionately pulling her closer.

It wasn't long before sleep finally took its course.


	15. Chapter 14

Well, seeing as I'm now an imaginary millionaire, I figured I might as well update.

* * *

Within a couple hours of my sleep, I was unexpectedly jerked awake by something yanking on my arm. My eyes snapped out and I sat up instinctively. Lana was sitting up as well, chest heaving as she took large breaths.

I rested a comforting hand on her back. "What's wrong?"

"I-I…h-had…had the worse nightmare…" Her voice was full of fright, forcing me to wrap my arms around her protectively.

"It's okay, Lana. I'm here." I felt the intense heat from her sweating, shaking body and wished there was more that I could do. "You want me to get you something? Water, or – "

"No!" The way she suddenly clung tighter to me scared me a little. "Please just…stay with me…please…"

"Sure," I answered with a sympathetic smile. I set my chin on the part in her hair, soothingly rocking us back and forth. Rocking always seemed to help me when I'd had a bad dream.

After a few minutes I felt her pull away from my chest slightly. I looked down to search for any sign that she was feeling better, but when I follow her eyes a sudden jolt shocked my heart. She didn't look sad, but on the contrary…very…open. She licked her lips, and I definitely noticed her looking down at mine in a wanting, hungry way.

No words were spoken. It was like when we were in my dorm room, talking for the first time. Both of us weren't sure what was taking over…but we did not want to question or stop it.

And this time, Pete was nowhere to be found.

I grasped embarrassingly as she caught my lips, not out of protest, but out of surprise. The shocking feeling I received every time we kissed just never left. I was never completely ready for her kisses – always unpredictable and amazing. Within seconds of the kiss, my rational mind was out for the night.

I returned the kiss with all the passion her lips had brewed up in me - and they had definitely brewed up quite a lot. So much so, that my hands suddenly found themselves squeezing her hips, trying to release the heat and excitement in my bones – but it only seemed to create more. Part of me panicked at not knowing how to stop, but another part was overjoyed at the fuzzy, hyper, crazy feelings swirling around just under my skin.

Tongues were exchanged. Groans slipped out. Soon my shirt was stripped off and dropped to the floor, only to be replaced a new, smaller shirt made by soft, electrifying Lana hands. I mentally performed a psycho-happy-white-boy dance when I felt one of her thighs move over my lap to straddle me.

I felt unbelievable. My body had never felt happier…never felt more ready for… "W-wait……wait…..uh….."

I was so out of breath, I couldn't even finish my sentence. Her hands, which had originally slinked around every body part above my waist, were now taking a rest on my reddened shoulder blades.

Lana laughed a little in between her own heavy breathing. "Whadayou….mean?"

I take a few more breaths, even though I could've spoken without them. "I…I mean, you probably already know….but I'm still…heh…" EMBARRASSING.

"You're still…a virgin?"

I shrugged, trying to act cool about the most awkward situation of my life. "Yeah…"

She continued to laugh, making me feel even more stupid, but then her hands held my neck to pull my eyes to hers as she admitted, "I am too."

Completely taken off guard, I furrowed my eyes in confusion.

Then it was her turn to look away in shame. "I never felt comfortable giving away something like that for money. Dean didn't want that for me either. So I'd dance with guys…make out sometimes…a little bit of touching, but…nothing too intimate or serious."

My respect for her suddenly increased. I felt bad that this whole I time I just assumed she'd lost it already… I couldn't believe that if we did this…it would be the first for both of us. "Not even…you never…with Whitney?"

She shook her head immediately. "Never."

I smiled, teeth and all. I could have her…all of her.

She took this break in conversation, to lean in for the second part of the make out session, but I backed away, smile dropping from my face. She sat back with confusion.

"I'm sorry…just…when I say I'm a virgin…I mean _virgin_," I say, trying to keep my voice calm. "I mean…what we're doing now…making out…I've never _ever_ gone this far with a girl in my life." I sigh and add without thinking about it as much as I normally would, "Am I doing okay?"

I got the empathetic expression I guessed would come, but instead of the "Yes, you're doing fine," answer I was prepared for, she grinned devilishly and said, "You are a natural, Clark. Seriously."

I laughed modestly. Suddenly my hands began to shake a little. There was nothing else to say before we continued with what we doing. Nothing except…my secret.

I knew I wasn't prepared for that conversation. I'd just gotten through the virgin part and that was more than my poor, nervous stomach could take. Me being an alien…that was a completely different level of worry and nausea.

"Really, Clark. You're a fantastic kisser," she assured as she took my hands in hers, assuming my shaking and lack of eye contact was because of the response she'd given me earlier.

"I know. I mean," I laughed at my own stupidity. "I think we should…uh…just hold off before we…go all the way, you know? Wait until we can really be together. No Whitney. No Lionel. No night club. Just…us. Together forever."

She searched through my eyes, a smile growing over time until she nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I mean…we just found this feeling…we should let it last."

I pushed her towards me slightly, bringing her into a short, addictive kiss that turned into a few firey liplocks. Eventually though we stopped, leaning our foreheads against each other in contentment.

"We should probably get back to sleep," I whisper. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but worry about where Whitney was. If he knew who I was. If he was downstairs in the lobby, asking for my room number at this very minute. The sooner we got a good sleep in, the more awake we would be when we had to run.

She allowed me to fall back onto the bed, then wiggled around my body like a cat until she found a comfortable position. Her leg hooked around mine. A hand resting just above my belly button. Her head protected in the cove of my neck with one of my large hands running slowly through her cascade of dark hair.

I sighed, looking a little more relieved then I felt. I bought myself some time. When Luthor's and the night club became things of the past, however, I knew I'd have no choice but to show all my cards.

But I wouldn't slow down my goal of ridding Lana of her marriage binds with Whitney out of my own fear. I would, in fact, work harder to set her free so that I could finally have the courage to tell her and prove just how much she meant to me.

Fortunately, the sound of her hypnotic breathing and warm touch drew me into a serene slumber.


	16. Chapter 15

Yes, it did, **ClanaLover4Life!**. No worries. :)

* * *

The sun beamed through the thin curtains of my dorm the second time I woke up that morning. I stretched as much as I could without waking the sleeping beauty curled up at my side. I smiled as I watched her for while, becoming captivated by her closed eyes…soft cheeks…sweet lips…

_Tell me that you're alright! Yeah everything is alright!_

I frowned at the faint singing I heard from somewhere behind me.

_Oh, please tell me that you're alright! Yeah everything is alright!_

I whirled around in the bed, shifting through the beanbag, magazines, and old essays on my floor causing the music to become gradually louder until I pulled my cell phone from the pocket of my jeans.

"Hey, Chloe," I greeted in a drowsy, but happy tone.

"Hey, I have been trying to get hold of you for the past two hours. What have you been doing?"

"Sleeping," I admitted, looking down at my watch and widening my eyes at the time. "Whoa, is it really eleven?"

"Yes it is. Where are you?"

"I'm in my dorm with Lana." I slowly sat up, trying not to disturb Lana, but starting to feel a little on edge. "What's going on?"

"Well, the good news is I've tracked down our favorite Luthor."

"And the bad news?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"…he's in Honduras on some kind of business deal. Seems like those things have become the Luthor's hobbies nowadays, huh?"

I bit my lip and leaned back against the wall in contemplation. "Well, I suppose I could run there. But I'd probably need more specific directions of where he's at exactly – " I heard a beep from the phone and pulled it away from my ear and swallowed uncomfortably. "Um…Chloe, can I call you back? Someone else is trying to call me."

"Alright. Talk to you in a bit."

"Yeah." I ended the call and then reluctantly punched in the number that had just shown up on my phone. It was unknown. And my worst fear was that it was Whitney.

"Hello?"

I took a breath before speaking. "Who is this?"

"Dean…is this…Fox?"

I relieved sigh gushed off from me as I answered. "Yeah. Hey."

"Good. For a minute I thought I'd gotten the wrong number." My relief began to dissolve as I noticed the fright in his voice.

"…what's going on?" I wondered with immediate curiosity.

"…I think Whitney might know who you really are."

I sat back up so quickly, Lana began to stir awake. "How do you know?"

"He's been asking around the club. He found a picture someone took of the two of you during your duet and he's passed it around to everyone who comes here. I know for a fact that the majority of my customers go to Met U and a lot of them must share your same dormitory. If he doesn't know your real identity now, then it's only a matter of time."

I ran a hand through my hair nervously and wishing I could go back to a few minutes ago when I'd just been idly contemplating Lana's sleeping form. "Um…ok. Ok, thanks Dean. I really appreciate the heads up. Lana and I will be sure to keep a low profile."

"Good. Listen, I have to go. But whatever you do, stay as far away from the Met U campus or The Pulse as you can okay?"

"Yeah, I plan on it."

Dean suddenly sighed and although I didn't know it at the time, tears were slowly filling his eyes. "I'm sorry you're caught in this. I'm sorry it's so hard for you two to be together."

"It isn't your fault, Dean." I noticed Lana was now sitting up, just as alert as I was, so I added, "I should go now. Keep in touch."

"Of course. Goodbye and good luck."

"Bye."

As soon as I hung up the phone, Lana clung to my arm in worry. "What did Dean say?"

I looked over at her, trying not to let my fear of hearing Whitney's knuckles banging on the door at any minute pass onto her. "We have to leave the campus as soon as possible."

"…he knows who you are, doesn't he?" she asked as I began stuffing some old clothes into a duffle bag.

"He could very soon. So the sooner we're out of here, the better."

The rest of the rushed packing was done in scared silence. I changed into a black sweatshirt I'd never worn before with jeans and a baseball cap while Lana slipped on a Met U T-shirt Shannon had left over a couple weeks ago, jeans, and a pair of sunglasses. Our only hope was that it was a good enough disguise to get us out of the building without being recognized.

On the way out, I stopped by Andrew and Tucker's room. I briefly explained what was going on and both promised not to tip us off and would do their best to get anyone they knew who attended the club to say nothing to Whitney.

"That's what friends are for, man – to cover up the tracks," Andrew explained after I thanked them both for their promise.

"Yeah. So what are you doing still stand here? Go find the nearest top secret Bat Cave and make some pretty babies." Tucker added, throwing his twisted sense of humor into the conversation.

I laughed and, maybe for the first time, I really felt like those two were my friends. Up until then, they always seemed to try to pressure me into do things or making fun of the fact that I'd never gotten as "lucky" as they had. But I'm glad to say they lived up to their promise. I really do believe that because of them and their connections with a lot of the frequent-attendees of The Pulse, Whitney's search for my real identity was made a lot tougher. And in all honesty, with out them kidnapping me on my birthday, Lana and I would've never met in the first place.

I really owe a lot more to them than they'll ever realize.

And of course I couldn't forget out their other partner in crime – Pete. Not only did he promise to keep my name on the down-low, he also offered to take care of any assignments that were due during the time I would be unable to come back to the campus.

Pete definitely got a big bear hug from me for that one.

After the few quick stops, Lana and I finally walked hand-in-hand into the elevator, down to the lobby, and out the door.

We felt scared, uncertain and nervous, but we knew deep in our hearts that this was the right thing to do. We might be breaking a dozen rules and running away like two fugitives, but it was all going to be okay. We had each other. We were meant to have each other. And nothing, not even Whitney Luthor, was going to stop us from finding a way of being together.

Within the next hour, Lana and I were on our way to the first step into the only plan I could think of that could fight against everything pulling us apart. And as we sat side-by-side on the charter bus, bouncing gently along the highway, I gazed out the dirty windows, not sure how to feel. Only a few months ago, I would've never imagined I would've gone so far as to risk this much for someone, let alone a beautiful singer from a Metropolis nightclub.

But I was certainly ready to risk it all for her. Lana was worth every minute of worry.

"So…where are we going exactly?" Lana whispered, her hand rubbing over mine soothingly, as though I were a sick patient in a hospital.

"A friend's house. In Smallville," I answered simply, keeping my eyes on the cornfields whizzing by.

"This bus goes all the way to Smallville?"

"Yeah. The college funded it after they realized that so many students have family there." I was barely paying attention to my own words. My thoughts were much too important to be ignored.

Lana realized her attempt at getting my mind off the subject at hand hadn't really worked, so she leaned closer into me, resting her chin on my shoulder as she uttered, "Please tell me what you're thinking."

I wanted to, but I knew my words would only worry her more.

"Look, I just want you to know…I trust you. Whatever you have in mind…whatever plan you have to keep Whitney out of our lives…I know it's going to work."

I closed my eyes, somewhat in shame. She trusted me. And that hurt. It hurt a lot. I knew she shouldn't trust me at all. I hadn't even gained up enough confidence to tell her my secret. She was basically following me blindly into a plan even I wasn't completely sure would work. And if I lead her down a path of lies and decent…she would never trust me or speak to me ever again.

At a few more weak attempts, she finally accepted that she wasn't going to get anything else out of me until we reached our destination, so she gave into the silence, transforming my shoulder into a comfortable pillow and sleeping the rest of the way.


	17. Chapter 16

It was late afternoon by the time we reached downtown Smallville. The bus chugged to a stop just outside of The Talon and passengers, mostly fellow college students, filtered out onto the sidewalk.

"Clark? Clark, can you please tell me where we're going?"

I continued to briskly walk down the sidewalk, forcing Lana to break into a slight jog to keep up with me.

"Clark? Clark!" She reached out and yanked my arm, whirling me around to face her angered face. "_Talk_ to me!"

I looked into her eyes, immediately wishing I hadn't. I knew she'd be able to see the fear and the worry. And it didn't help that the hand she was now holding was shaking as well.

She gave my troubled hand a gentle squeeze, her frown instantly turning into a concerned look. "What's wrong? Why aren't you talking?"

I tried to cover up my true feelings with a smile, but it didn't last long. I finally sighed and said, "I'm just…worried about stuff. There's a lot going on in my mind right now."

"Well, tell me about it. You shouldn't have to keep all that stuff inside anymore." She pulled my other hand up and held it as well. "You have me now."

That didn't make me feel as good as it should have. After all, the fact that she still didn't know my secret was becoming more aware to me with each passing minute and it was becoming harder for me to actually envision telling her.

So what did I do? Played the Avoidance Dance once again. "I thought about talking to you, but I don't want to upset you."

"I think it's upsetting me more that I don't know what's going on, Clark," she informed determinedly. "You really have to learn to trust people. Especially me."

I took another deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. We're going to my friend Chloe's house. She's the one tracking down Lex. She called earlier today and told me she had a lead. She doesn't have any classes for the next couple days, so I'm pretty sure she's at her dad's house right now."

"So we're going to stay at her house? Uh, don't you think Whitney will eventually look for us at your friend's houses?" Lana asked with confusion.

"Yeah, but he has to be able to connect me to Chloe first. And that could take a while," I explained, keeping one of her hands in mine as we continued down the sidewalk towards Chloe's.

Lana was silent, thinking over my strategy for a while before speaking again. "What about your parents?"

"I think they'll be alright. My dad doesn't take any crap from the Luthor's. If Whitney comes by the farm, it won't do him any good."

Lana smiled. "Guess I know where you got your stubbornness from."

I grinned with a nod. "Yeah, he's a great teacher of stuff like that."

Suddenly, I felt a little pang of guilt in my stomach. I remembered telling her I'd been adopted while I walking her home one night. And I also remembered that she'd asked me if I knew who my real parents were or where I was from…and I'd told her that I had no idea.

A lie. A lie that, at the time, didn't seem like that big of a deal. But now, it felt huge. I wondered how many other times I'd lied to her and didn't even realize it.

I hoped I wouldn't have to add too many more lies to the already horribly high total before the night's end.

My grip on her hand tightened as we trudged down the road.

…….

"Clark! Wow, I am SO glad to see you!"

Chloe leapt into my arms and I gladly accepted the embrace. "Hey, Chlo."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"Educated guess."

She backed away after a few seconds, her smile still as bright as ever for, as far as I could tell, no reason whatsoever. She immediately looked towards Lana and nodded in acknowledgement. "And Lana Lang, right?"

I patted Lana's hand, noticing the uneasiness in her eyes. Her face never faltered from its uncomfortable stare, so I decided to fill her in.

"Lana, is Chloe Sullivan. She's like the sister I never had."

Her lips curled up into a tiny, polite grin. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. I'm must admit I'm really glad to see that my brotha from anotha motha finally got hit with Cupid's arrow. I've told him many times that you two look amazing together. Really."

"Thank you," she retorted in a fashion that reminded me a lot of her "night club self" - only hard, protective shell of the girl I loved. "I hope us being here doesn't put a burden on you."

"Oh, not at all. Come on in."

"Thanks," I said ushering Lana as I added, "and don't ever call me your 'brotha from anotha motha' again, all right?"

Chloe laughed and backed away into the familiar house as Lana and I followed. The interior hadn't changed much since I'd been there last – which was surprising concerning my last visit had been some time in grade school.

"My dad's out fishing with his buddies. They hardly ever catch a thing, but somehow they've found a way to justify taking off a whole week from work to live in a one room cabin and talk about getting old."

"Ah, so that explains the lack of burnt food smell."

Lana and I sat down on the sofa in the living room and Chloe sat in the chair opposite us.

"So, what exactly brings you two kids here? Not that I'm not happy to see you. Together." Chloe paused for a second, staring at us as though she were an addict, thinking about grabbing another bottle of pills. "Oh my gosh - I can't stand it anymore. Wait right here so I can go get my camera!"

I laughed and, to my great happiness, so did Lana as Chloe bounced away to her room. "Wow…just as photo-happy as ever."

After Lana's initial smile faded, she looked up at me. "Look, Clark, not that I don't think Chloe's really great, but…you told her my name?"

I swallowed, hoping she would accept my reasoning. "Yeah...I know you might feel a little edgy about it now, but Chloe's not like a lot of people. After you really get to know her, you'll realize it's safe in her hands. In all the years I've known her she's never told anyone my secrets."

And as the words fell from my mouth I instinctively wished they hadn't. I could tell from the look at her face that Lana wished I hadn't either. It sounded as though I trusted Chloe more than I did Lana…which, in truth, I guess I did.

Lana was so sweet though. She didn't break out into a jealous rage or question what kind of secrets I told Chloe, but never told her.

She simply picked up her sad, concerned look, changed it to a small smile and said, "….well, ok. If you trust her, then I trust her too."

Chloe rushed back into the room and snapped the first photo of us together, but the smile I wore on my face was completely fake. I felt dishonest and horrible and unworthy of her love. I still feel that way every time I look at that picture.

Lana seems to like it though. She looks back on our young, fresh faces, grins and says, "Look at those two stupid kids. Remember when we were that stupid, Clark?"

And I remember. I will always remember.


	18. Chapter 17

"Okay, so like I told Clark earlier today, I found out that Lex is currently in Honduras for Luthor-business-y something or other. He's not scheduled to be back for another two weeks," Chloe informed as she zipped around ten webpages in a matter of seconds.

Lana sighed from her place on the couch with realization. "Then Lex won't be able to help us. If we can't contact him and he's not returning anytime soon, we don't have a chance at standing up to Lionel or Whitney. We could end up hiding for months."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. "Actually, we don't need to waste time trying to find a way to reach Lex. Clark can just – "

"Uhh, Chloe could you help me in the kitchen. I want to make some coffee and I'm not sure how your machine works. Lana you want some?" I kept my face as innocent and rational as I could (although my voice was a little rushed), waiting for Lana's answer and trying to ignore Chloe's stare.

As Lana nodded in confusion, Chloe watched me with a baffled look as I lead her into the kitchen, making sure the swinging door closed behind us.

"Okay, what was that? You're a lot more stupid than I thought if you can't figure out how to work a coffeemaker yourself."

"This isn't about the coffee, Chloe," I corrected, pulling out the coffee mix as Chloe got some mugs from the cabinet. "I didn't tell Lana…everything."

Chloe stopped and turned to me, half pissed off and half disbelieved. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're trying to tell me that you've taken a woman you're supposedly in love with into hiding with you so that you two can be together for the rest of your lives and you haven't even told her you're an alien?!"

"Shh!" I snapped. Chloe's voice was far from being loud, but my mind was filled with too much paranoia. I tried scooping the ground up coffee with a spoon, but it ended up spilling all over the counter due to my nervous behavior.

"You have to tell her."

"I know."

"Like right now, Clark." She grabbed the spoon out of my hand and tried to shove me into the living room.

"Chloe, stop!"

"No, Clark!" she retorted, her voice still soft, but filled with anger. "This girl trusts you so much that she was willing to run away with you and live in a stranger's house indefinitely just because you told her it would be alright. You're making her believe that there's nothing more to Clark Kent then what she already knows. Keeping yourself a secret for much longer could destroy this relationship!"

"I know…I know…" My heart was pounding deep in my chest as I heard Chloe's words. Somehow, hearing out loud what I had done made me feel ten times worse.

"Then go!"

"No, I-I want to wait until I've got Lex here."

"What? Why?"

"Because," I rushed back to making the coffee, finally getting the powder into the machine and hearing the heated beverage spew into the mug, "…because I don't want to risk her not accepting me."

"Why would Lex have anything to do with that?"

I closed my eyes, grabbing the kitchen counter with both hands and leaning against it. "I know it's irrational, Chloe…but I just…I want to her to have no reason to believe that my plan isn't going to work. I want Lex here as proof to show her that I truly want this plan to work and that I'm not trying to cheat her out of anything or purposefully making this a one-sided relationship."

I sighed before continuing with the words that had burned through my mind ever since I fell in love with Lana. "I don't expect you to understand…but when you live your whole life as an outsider…with no one who can truly feel what you're feeling or know where you're coming from…you start to live a lie. You pretend like you don't need anyone else because there's no way they'd accept you anyway. You convince yourself that any kind of true, real bond with anyone will always end badly. And then you miss out on everything that makes life worth living.

"And Lana made me see that. She opened my eyes to see that loving someone and having that love returned is what we truly live for. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me…and…" I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing more than anything that I could go back in time, "…and I can't risk losing her. Maybe waiting for Lex is a stupid, unnesscary precaution, but…I just cannot lose that girl…"

Chloe put a hand on my shoulder, her touch giving me enough strength to open my eyes. "She loves you too much. It'll be all right."

"You can't know that."

Chloe sighed, a little annoyed by my sudden pessimism, but didn't hesitate initiating a friendly hug from behind and then handed me a napkin. "You'd better pull yourself together. The coffee's ready."


	19. Chapter 18

Chloe generously allowed us to stay at her house however long we needed to. And if her dad came home before we could leave, she promised she'd "take care of him".

Sometimes I had to feel a little bad for Mr. Sullivan – raising a daughter who was more comfortable being the head of the household than he was. She could always convince her father to do anything she wanted without sounding too childish or bossy. Plausible explanations that could always slip effortlessly off her tongue and her natural relaxing way of conversing subconsciously made you feel like she really did know what she was talking about, even when she knew she didn't.

Her mother was the complete opposite, however. The woman took even less crap than my father did. They'd actually gotten in a huge argument when Chloe learned my secret. Chloe's parents had already divorced, but Chloe's mother was still convincing her father to move to Metropolis with her so that Chloe would never come into contact with "lunatics" again. Gabe Sullivan eventually gave into his ex-wife's demands, but after Chloe reached college, he moved back into his old house in Smallville.

"He told me he regrets moving to Metropolis all the time. So I know I can get him to understand if you need a few days in hiding," Chloe assured with a wink.

Yes, Chloe was probably the going to be the best mother ever when she finally found a man who would put up with her independent demeanor.

"So what are we going to do about Lex?" Lana wondered as soon as Chloe and I were settled again in the living room.

Chloe sent me a subtle glare and then quickly perked back up and answered, "Well…I think I might have the number of one of my friends who use to be an assistant of Lex's in my phone. I haven't talk to him in a while, but maybe he still works for the billionaire."

"Really?" Lana asked with intrigue, blowing on her streaming coffee mug.

"Yeah…I'm going to try to get a hold of him later tonight. He's probably too busy to talk right now."

We sipped our coffee in almost silence. I didn't feel like talking anyway. I just wanted everything to be over with. I wanted all the horrible worries and fears in my head to go away. It felt so ironic that I was with the people in my life who always knew how to calm my nerves, yet Chloe's knowing body language and Lana's questions couldn't have made me more uptight and on edge.

The rest of the day went by quietly. Chloe pretended to get in touch with her "friend the assistant" who said he would talk to Lex and if everything went okay, Lex might be back in the U.S. sometime tomorrow morning. Lana grinned in satisfication, kissed me on the cheek, and then excused herself to get ready for bed.

As soon as Lana was out of ear shot, Chloe chucked her cell phone, purposefully clipping me in the back of the head.

"Hey!"

She placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. "Oh, shut up. It didn't hurt."

"So? What was that – " I stopped in mid-sentence, realizing how pointless the question was.

"You need to tell her, Clark. You're going to Honduras tonight and, whether Lex comes back with you are not, you are TELLING HER in the morning. Got it?"

I definitely knew how her father felt as I sat there with my hands folded in my lap and my mouth hanging open like the stupid male that I was. "Yes."

"And when you tell you her, you'd better tell her that you forced me to lie for you because lying to her just a few minutes ago and watching her face get so excited and relieved was probably one of the hardest things I've had to do. That girl is the sweetest person ever. I don't even know how you've lasted this long without telling her what you are."

"Ok, I promise I'll tell her. It's all my fault and I know that." I stood, glad that my kneecaps could still hold me up after all the stress they'd been through lately. "I'm just going to go in our room, wait until she's asleep, and then leave. It shouldn't be too long."

"It better not be." Chloe then turned to head up to her room, but then faced me again sympathetically. "And Clark…I really, really do hope you can find Lex. If I happen to come across any more information that might get you a better idea of where he is, I'll let you know."

I smiled. "Thanks, Chlo. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. And good luck."

…….

My heart leaped naturally when I crossed the threshold of the guest room to see Lana, dressed in sweats and one of my Metropolis Sharks t-shirts, fluffing the pillows. I wasn't sure how or why a simple act such as pillow fluffing could make me happy, but Lana always seemed to teach me to enjoy the little things in life.

Including the tiny smile that rose on her lips as she looked up to see me. "What?"

"That's my shirt."

"I know. It's comfy. I like your shirts."

"I was looking all over for that. I was going to wear it tonight."

"…we could share it."

I burst out in laughter as images of the two of us jammed inside one shirt clouded my mind. "You're so weird, Lana Lang."

"Well, then that makes you weird for loving someone who's so weird, doesn't it?" Lana replied, slinking under the covers, but bright and eager to talk.

I grinned as I hopped into the bed as well. "I guess so."

As soon as my back hit the mattress, Lana's warm body wrapped around my chest, causing me to shiver.

Lana giggled. "What was that?"

"A shiver. There was just too much happiness in my body and it had to come out somehow."

"Oh, good." She paused before adding, "I'm glad your body didn't choose a noiser, smellier way to have the happiness come out."

"Lana! What having you been drinking?!" I exclaimed as we both laughed as quietly as possible in order not to wake Chloe.

"Just coffee…and a bunch Clark Kent looove juice." She squeezed me tighter with glee. "I guess I'm just a little too excited about finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Lex is going to be back soon and I know he's going to find a way to overthrough his father. I just know it."

I squeezed Lana back a little, kissing the top of her head. "I promise that if Chloe's friend can't persuade Lex to come back, I'll go and get him myself."

"Oh, Clark..."

"I will."

"I know you would." Lana lifted her head and gazed into my eyes. "Clark, you're just too good to me. You need to stop being to damn good so I can keep up."

I let out a short laugh, running a hand down her sweet face. "But you're too good _for_ me, so it evens out."

"I am not…" She looked away a little shamefully.

"No, you are, Lana." I leaned in, resting our forehead together and waiting until she finally looked into my eyes. "And soon you will see that. I know you will."

She stared into my eyes curiously, sensing the fear that I held deep within my heart. With that one look she could see that somehow I really was not deserving of her.

"I just want you to know that I will love you forever. Even if your feelings change for me. You will always be loved. No matter what."

Lana still held a look of confusion about my words, but she didn't hesitate in pulling my lips to hers in a perfectly united kiss. "You will always be loved too, Clark."


	20. Chapter 19

I believe the answer to your question is in this chapter, **GilbertDrone328**.

Thanks once again for all the reviews so far!

* * *

After a few hours, Lana was out. I carefully slipped out of bed and tip toed my way into the bathroom to throw some water on my face. Hopefully in a few hours, Lana's and my life would be changed for the better. No more hiding from Whitney, and no more hiding from the truth. Trust was the key. I needed to trust that everything was going to be alright.

With one last glance at Lana's quiet and tranquil form, I supersped off into the cloudy light of the early morning sky.

…….

I reached Honduras in record-breaking time, but actually finding Lex proved to be some what of a difficult task. I spoke very little of Spanish and they spoke very little of English. I had to resort to drawing pictures of a bald guy in a tie before I finally got a knowing nod and a point in the right direction of the tropical, marshy area.

After a few minutes of trudging through tiny huts and dirty roads, I finally heard the voice of the man I'd traveled so far to see.

"Clark? Clark KENT?"

I whirled around within excitement, a smile automatically splashing onto my face. "Lex!"

"Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing here??" He clapped his hands on my back in a brotherly sort of hug, happiness filling his voice.

"I wish I was just here to say hi, but I'm actually here for a complicated reason. I need your help."

"Sure. Why don't we just talk inside."

I followed him through the dirt patches that made up the small village. Lex looked extremely out of place with his tailor-made suit and royal purple tie. But despite that, most of the villagers we passed nodded and smiled at the business man, some even shaking his hand. Each action built up my confidence that Lex would be more than willing to help Lana and I. He seemed even more genuinely nice than the last time I'd talked to him many years ago.

He lead me to a large white tent just outside the village, surrounded on all sides by secret-service-like men with shades and ear pieces and jeeps covered in brown camouflage paint.

"What is this is? The local police station?" I asked with curiousity.

"It's the headquarters of Lex Corp in Honduras. We're currently in process of trying to train the men to defend themselves in order to conquer new spaces of flat land to grow crops. In return, the people have agreed to sell us they're produce at half price. And their proven to be pretty deteremined. I have a feeling they might become the next Rome – only they won't destroy themselves from the inside." Lex strutted to the front flap of the tent and nodded to the man waiting there. The man nodded back and lifted the flap for us to enter.

"Well, sounds like your name is all over this project then," I stated.

We walked into a makeshift office under the tent, full of desks and people circling them, muttering random questions and answers. Lex turned and pushed through another flap that opened into a small, secluded part of the tent which contained two Victorian-looking easy chairs, a plastic window, and a trademark Luthor wine bar.

"Sit, make yourself comfortable, and fill me in on what's been going in Smallville since I've been away," Lex ordered, wandering over to the bar in order to pour himself a shot.

A good portion of time passed as I explained all that had happened, leading up to this very morning. By the end of my heroic story, Lex's reaction was basically unreadable. He seemed to look intrigued and unimpressed at the same time.

"So…you want me to use my own anger towards my family to fuel a takeover so you and your girlfriend can live happily ever after?" he asked bluntly, taking a sip from his expensive drink as he did so.

"Well, you always told me how you wished you could bring down your father one day…and I just figured…I mean…I don't mean to sound selfish, Lex. I realize you have business to take care of here and it's probably more important to you than a friend you haven't been in touch with for years – "

"Clark," Lex interrupted, patting me on the shoulder. A smile curled onto his lips as he continued, "You're not a friend – you're a brother. As far as I'm concerned, it's my duty to help you out."

My eyes widened in unabashed shock. "You're…you're gonna help me? Seriously?"

"Of course. Pulling down my father and his loyal little lap dog of a son in the process is just a bonus. You deserve this girl. I can tell."

"I don't know how I'll ever repay you, Lex…" I admitted as I stood, feeling a little bit like a poor man on the street who's just been give a million dollars.

Lex rose up from his chair as well, setting his empty glass on the nearby desk. "I do. Just one, simple thing I require."

"What?"

"I must be your best man when you and Lana get hitched."

Without even thinking about it, my cheeks beamed red. "Lex…"

"Deal?" he asked, opening the tent flap, waiting for me to pass through.

My heart began to race with excitement as I ducked underneath his arm. "Deal."

……..

And the excitement never once left my heart as I sat in the cushioned chairs of Lex's personal jet, soaring back towards Kansas. I couldn't stop thinking about how everything would be now. Lana would finally know everything. No more lies. Not a single one.

I glanced at my watch. Still very early in the morning. Lana was probably still huddled under her covers and, although I admit it was pretty egotistical of me to think, she was also probably dreaming about me…and our future together. Our long and prosperous future.

And as I gazed out the winds of the aircraft thinking about my love, Lex spent most of the flight in a private room in the back of the plane, creating his strategy and calling up connections who would gladly aid him in the "revival of his mission to end the Luthor chaos." Apparently, he had been digging up the past of his family for years, but was never able to grasp enough dirty laundry. He gave up almost five years ago and now, Lex had told me with a grin, he felt he was older, wiser, and ready to show the world that he was not just another Luthor.

Surprisingly, by the time the jet reached the grounds of Smallville, Lex appeared from his room looking almost as satisfied as I was.

"Plan going well?" I asked hopefully.

"Very, very well, my brother," Lex promised wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we both strutted happily towards the silver Porsche, warmed and ready to take us back to the battle at hand.

…….

I decided not to knock on Chloe's door, seeing at it was still about five in the morning. I snatched the key under the potted plant on the porch and quietly let Lex and myself in.

The house was filled with that deafening, morning silence that makes even the tiniest noises sound like crashed and explosions. But the silence almost felt suffocating to me. I had so much I wanted to say and express, but I couldn't think of how to begin it, and I wasn't completely sure I was ready.

"Clark?"

Lana emerged from the stairway, barely awake, but quickly gaining consciousness when she noticed who had just arrived.

"Lana. Hey, good morning."

"Hello there. You're Lana Lang, I assume?" Lex said, stretching out his hand.

"Yes…" She said curiously, shaking his awaiting hand.

"I'm Lex Luthor. I believe my good friend Clark has told you all about me."

"Yeah. Yes, he has. But he also told me you were in Honduras," she informed, the bewildered look on her face not fading for a second.

"I was. Luckily, Clark was able to get down there and let me in the situation you two are in. And let me to you, there's nothing I'd rather be doing. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help." Lex then turned to look back at me with a smirk. "Now then, I think I'm going to head out and get better acquainted with this grand little town again. Lots for me to do today. I'll let you know how things are going when I can, Clark."

"All right," I retorted, still staring at Lana, who I could tell was still very confused.

"Talk to you later. And it was nice meeting you, Ms. Lang," Lex exclaimed as he nodded towards Lana and then walked briskly out of house and out of sight.

My heart increased it's beating as soon as the front door shut. A feeling that I can only describe as happy terror coursed through my veins. An anxious smile appeared on my face as I spoke. "So…"

"I think you owe me an explanation," she stated, firmly and with no returning smile.

I swallowed, quickly deciding to lose my obviously inappropriate smile as quickly as possible. "Uh…for what?"

"Where were you this morning?"

"I was getting Lex."

"I woke up when you got out of bed. I looked at the clock and it was 4:30. It's now 8:30."

"Actually, Lex's company has been working on this brand new plane fuel that increases the speed of a plane and – "

"Even with Lex's miracle fuel, it's impossible fit two plane flights into that small amount of time and even if you did somehow manage it, where did you get the money for the flight and why did you feel the need to hide it from me and make up some lame story about a friend having a connection with Lex?"

I knew this was the point of no return. She had to know, and there was no room for weaseling out. So, with as much courage as I owned, I took a breath and began. "I didn't tell you because I didn't fly to Honduras."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, folding her arms in annoyance. "That's crazy. How else would you get there?"

"I…ran."

"You ran?"

I sighed and mentally crossed my fingers. "Look, I'm gonna tell you the truth Lana – all of it. And it's going to be complicated and unbelievable and completely crazy, but I really want you to please just listen, okay?"

With pursed lips and a mildly open mind, she muttered, "Okay."

And if it was like that one word was the cork to my bottle of truth. As soon as I heard it, shooting off into oblivion, miles and miles of information spilled from my tongue. I let her in on every thing I knew about Krypton and my powers, and when I finally ran out of things to say, I reminded her of how much I truly loved her and that I brought Lex here because I wanted to prove that I would do anything for her.

"Lana, I wanted to tell you so many times – "

"Then why didn't you?" I could hear the anger lacing her voice, making me truly regret everything I made her go through to avoid learning the truth sooner.

"I…I was afraid – "

"You even asked me how I'd feel if I came in contact with someone from another planet," Lana recalled in disbelief. "and I told you I would accept it. I _told_ you how I'd feel, Clark. I told you it would be okay."

I closed my eyes, feeling more vulnerable than I ever have. "I know."

"We even almost made love. Were you just going to have your way and then in the morning – 'Oh, by the way, I'm an alien!'" Lana exclaimed with a sarcastic laugh.

"Hey, of course not!" I spat back, hearing the anger now lacing my own voice. "I would never do something like that to you. Why do you think I stopped us from getting out of control?"

"I never thought it was because you were an alien! How the hell was I suppose to assume that? And the thing that really gets me is that I've been a hundred percent honest with you from the start, Clark. I told you things that I've never told another soul in my entire life. And you've been lying straight to my face!" Her voice was getting hysterical, so she took a moment to calm herself down. She put a hand to her forehead as more realizations and thoughts were bubbling up in her mind and I was truly afraid of how she would react to them. "I need to think."

I swallowed, blinking away the tears that threatened to stream down my face. "I understand."

She solemnly crossed the room and made her way up the stairs.

……

I sat in the living room for hours, eyes watering…a lot. But I don't remember ever actually crying. That seemed to weak for a time like this. Crying would mean that I believed she would never accept me, and I knew that could never be true. I bit my nails out of habit, waiting for her to descend from the staircase and tell me that it didn't matter…and that we were still in this together.

I jumped at the sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs, but my heart sunk a little when I saw Chloe's face.

"Hey, Chlo."

"Hey…so…what's up?"

I swallowed, but my mouth only seemed to get drier. "I found Lex. And I told Lana…about everything."

"That's great." Chloe exclaimed, but fell silent when she noticed how nervous I was. She sat down next to me, rubbing my back a little for comfort. "And how did she take it?"

"Um…I…I'm not sure yet." I stared at my folded hands impatiently. "She said she has to think."

Chloe licked her lips, as silence ensued for a few minutes. Nothing more really needed to be said yet. At least, not from either one of us.

But the person who really needed to talk still hadn't made her appearance.

"Is she upstairs?"

I nodded, as my gaze turned towards the ceiling, where she probably was, connecting all my lies with truth.

"Really? I was just up there and I didn't see her."

"I think she went into the bathroom. I heard the water run a few minutes ago."

I turned to Chloe and my heart dropped. Without her even speaking I knew in her facial expression that something was wrong.

"Chlo? Chloe, what is it?"

She averted my eyes as she answered slowly, "Clark, I was just in the bathroom putting the towels on the rack. She wasn't in there."

"What?" I sat up, trying to tell myself to remain calm, but failing badly. "Where is she? We would've heard if someone tried to break into the house, wouldn't we?"

"Maybe…she just…"

"LANA!" I was up the stairs in a spilt second. My hands were shaking so uncontrollably that I could barely grasp the doorknobs as I crashed through every room and closet, shouting her name.

Nothing. No sign of Lana at all.

I was in the middle of my third search through all the doorways in the house when Chloe jumped out in front of me.

"Clark, calm down."

"Chloe, where is she? Where could she go?"

"I don't know, Clark. But I'm sure she's fine. There's no way the Luthor's could track us down that easily."

Suddenly I heard the muffled noise of my cell phone. I jerked it out of my pocket, not even bothering to look at the number.

"Lana?"

"Clark." Her voice completely blank and unemotional.

"Are you okay? Where are you?"

"At the bus station."

I put my other hand to my mouth in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm at the bus station, Clark. I can't…I can't do this anymore. It's crazy."

I shook my head desperately. "No. No, Lana, I'm sorry. You don't have to do this. Don't go. Don't leave me."

"As I thought about it upstairs I realized…I don't know who you really are." She took a plain, simple breath before adding, "Whitney may have a few issues, but he's a great man. Wealthy. Lots of potential."

My face screwed up into angered confusion. "Do you hear yourself talking, Lana? The man's an abusive jackass! Going back to him will be the biggest mistake of your life. And you know it."

"What I know is that you've been lying to me from the start and he hasn't. Running away with you…abandoning Dean when I'd promised myself long ago that I would never do that…it was all a mistake."

"Following your heart is _not_…a mistake…" A tear slipped from my eye, causing me to choke on my own words. "What's the matter with you, Lana?"

"I've just finally opened my eyes to the big picture. I'm truly sorry you got so caught up in this. But I think it's best if we just end things now."

I blinked back the other tears that wished to fall from my eyes. "No. No, I will not let you go."

"Clark, stop being stupid."

I heard a tiny snap and restrained myself from clutching any harder on my phone. "I'm not being stupid! For the first time in my life I truly know what I'm doing and why. And it makes perfect sense. I know something's wrong. This isn't you. And I'm going to get you back, Lana, no matter what – "

"Goodbye, Clark."

"No! Lana!" Click. I pulled the phone from my ear. The call was ended. "Lana…"

I closed my eyes, feeling like I had been thrust into a bottomless ocean. Chloe's voice was distant and muffled as she frantically asked me what had happened. My phone slowly slipped from my hand, falling to the floor with a thud. I couldn't think straight. My heart was numb.

But I understood one thing very clearly – someone had forced Lana to make that call. None of what she said came from her mind or her heart.

Suddenly my eyes snapped open with renewed vigor and determination. My mind only focused on one thing: Lana.


	21. Chapter 20

"Where is Lana?"

"Clark? How would I know where she – "

"She called me from the bus station saying she didn't want to do this anymore. I know she was lying and I've already checked the bus station. You're the only other one besides Chloe who knows where Lana was, so – "

"Whoa, Clark, just calm down."

On the contrary, Lex's words made me want to hit something – hard - but figured I should at least hear him out. I _was_ talking a little fast and my hands _were_ still shaking unmanageably. So, I attempted to hide the pained demeanor in my voice, as I spoke, slower this time, into the phone. "I'm sorry, Lex. I'm just…I'm so worried, I can hardly think straight."

"That's okay," he retorted with understanding. "Unfortunately though, I can't say I know where Lana is. When did she leave?"

"Probably ten minutes ago or so. We kind of got into an argument and she said she needed to think, so she went upstairs and a few minutes later Chloe came down and said she hadn't seen her. Then I got the call…" I closed my eyes, collapsing onto the nearest empty metal bench of the station and ran my free hand through my messy, unwashed hair. I didn't think once about myself that morning. No shower. No breakfast. It was like without having Lana safe and next to me, I couldn't function anymore. "You really don't know where she is?"

"I'm really sorry, Clark. I wish I did. I wish I could even figure out how anyone else could've known that – " His voice halted in mid-sentence.

"Lex?...What?" I swallowed deeply, my heart pumping faster in my chest.

"The pilot of my jet. He used to work for my father. I didn't tell him where we were driving, but he must've followed us." He sighed harshly into the phone and muttered, "Damn spy…I can't believe my father stooped that low…"

Although there was none around, I could almost feel the effects of red kryptonite coursing through my veins, eating away at my morals and inhibitions. My freehand clutched into an automatic fist. "Where is your pilot now?"

"Clark, it doesn't matter where he's at. Lana's the one you're looking for. And I'm willing to bet they she's with Whitney now."

I pursed my lips, anger bubbling in my veins. "Right. Thanks. I'm sorry again about earlier."

"Forget it. And Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"I know how much you love this girl, but don't do anything stupid. If you find her, let me know. Don't inform the police – they're too close to my father."

I sighed, already knowing that if I did find Lana, calling Lex would probably be my last priority. "Alright. Later."

I ended the call, slipped my phone in my pocket and sat there for a moment. Lex's voice kept replaying over in my head…_"…she's with Whitney now…she's with Whitney…"_

I stood abruptly, and strutted outside towards the highway. My strut evolved into a jog, then into a run, and by the time I passed the sign that informed all travelers that Metropolis was 40 miles ahead, I was superspeeding faster than I ever had before.

……..

Two days. Two days of searching for Lana which ended in complete failure. Chloe looked. Lex and anyone trustworthy enough that he knew looked. I looked so much I barely had time to sleep.

She was no where to be found.

And, conveniently, neither was Whitney.

I don't remember much about my whereabouts. I remember hearing Lana's voice, and seeing Lana's smile soaring through my mind like a light, trying to guide me home. I didn't realize quite how much she meant to me until she wasn't there. I felt suffocated. Surrounded by everything and everyone when the only one I really wanted was gone. I just wanted to escape with Lana. Be free.

On the morning of the third day, I trudged down the sidewalk of downtown Metropolis. I'd looked everywhere I possibly could and now I was basically grasping at straws. Any girl with long brown hair caught my attention and gave me false excitement. Each smiling face of a stranger seemed to mock me and remind me that Lana was still missing.

"Cigarettes! Newspapers! Comic books!"

I jolted at the deep-set voice of a man standing behind a small booth on the corner. He looked young, but dirty and worn out. He seemed to be boring himself as he shouted his merchandise, almost as if he was encouraging people to not buy his items instead.

"Hey, buy something or move, Buddy! You're blocking my customers!" He barked at me in his same, annoyed manner.

I glanced around, realizing there weren't and probably never would be any customers who I could be blocking. I looked back at the man, and began to feel a little sympathetic. Maybe it was a subconscious connection – I didn't have the one thing I wanted and neither did he.

"I'll take a paper," I informed, pulling out my wallet and dropping some quarters on the counter.

The man looked a little taken back, but handed me a newspaper and took the money away.

"Thanks," I muttered, tucking the paper under my arm and wandering off towards some undefined location.

Suddenly, maybe by fate, I heard the muffled noise of my cell phone and pulled it out to see a text message from Chloe:

Buy a paper and look at the engagements.

My breath caught in my throat and I stopped walked immediately. "No….no….no..no..no…"

The repetition sped up as I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and tore the paper open to the correct page. My face scanned feverously fast across the black print until I found what I dreaded to see:

My head was plugged with so many emotions, I couldn't continue reading and only glanced at random words….'happiness'…'wedding'….'beautiful couple'…'true love'…all little daggers piercing my heart.

I skipped to the end of the article:

_The wedding itself will be for exclusive family and friends only, but will be held at Saint Francis Catholic Church today at 8:30 AM._

"Saint Francis…8:30…" I swung my arm around to see the time. "9:15! Sht!"

In two seconds I was standing on the opposite side of the massive cathedral that stood only a few blocks from the Met U campus. The entrance was dancing with pink and white ribbon and flowers. Hundreds of happy people stood around the stone steps, blowing tiny bubbles, shouting and laughing. The heavy, wooden doors flew open, and everything slowed down to a creepy, crawly pace.

There was my Lana, dressed in an intricately embroidered white gown, a veil flying over her curling brown locks of hair. She was smiling as Whitney held her hand and they rushed down the stairs, but it was only a small smile. She didn't even reveal her teeth like she always did when she truly felt happy about something.

Without thinking or even looking where I was going, I stepped out into the street, crossing the road and causing a few cars to screech to a halt to avoid smashing into me. Everyone in the wedding looked over to see what had happened, but the only pair of eyes I really saw were hers.

She was standing in front of the limo, Whitney at her side, holding the door open for her. She stared at me, her smile fading. I don't know how I looked to her, but I tried with every fiber of my being to make her see how I'd been feeling for the past few days. How empty my life was…

She sighed deeply, slowly, parting her lips as if she was going to whisper something. Then she closed her mouth and looked away to gaze at Whitney. With a short, timid smile to her new husband, she slipped into the limousine.

As it drove off, I tried to rush up to catch it, not sure what I'd do exactly if I did. But all the obnoxious guests crowded around me, jostling me away and leaving me lost and even more confused than I'd been earlier.

Lana had looked at me so blankly, almost as if she were upset with me. And then the way she looked back at Whitney and smiled?

I tilted my head to the side as I watched the vehicle turn the corner and take the newlyweds out of town. Almost intuitively, I focused my super hearing on the interior of the limo.

"…best day of my life," Whitney admitted proudly.

"Mine too," Lana replied quietly.

"I love you…Lana Luthor."

"I love you too, Whitney."

I could hear in her voice that she was smiling as she spoke...and the soft smack of their lips as they kissed.

I felt tears began seeping around my eyes. She didn't run to me the way I'd imagined she would…she didn't hesitate in telling Whitney she loved him…hell, she didn't even give me a tiny, secretive smile…she gave that to him, too.

I blinked and looked down at the cracked and broken pavement below, watching a single tear splatter onto it. My heart kept telling me this wasn't real…something happened to force Lana into acting the way she did…

But the real, rational part of my mind couldn't stop looking at the tangible facts and reminding me that there was always the possibility that Lana…my Lana…didn't love me anymore.


	22. Chapter 21

"Whitney probably had people around, watching for Lana to make a move. She couldn't act how she wanted to act when she saw you."

I sighed, hands over my face in order to stop anyone from seeing what was happening beneath it. For the first time I felt out of control. I felt vulnerable. "...maybe. But she was acting so sincere…she probably wouldn't have even looked my way if I hadn't stepped in front of traffic."

"Clark…" Chloe began in whining, protesting-like manner, but I dropped my hands and interrupted her.

"Trust me. I know Lana better than she knows herself. One look in her eyes and I can tell everything she's feeling." I closed my sore, tear-stung eyes and replayed the last moments of Lana's eyes that I could remember. "She really seemed like she truly didn't want to see…didn't want to have anything to do with me…and then she smiled at Whitney and took off to start a brand new life…apparently, where no aliens are allowed."

I felt Chloe's hand creep up my spine, attempting to comfort me. I looked down at the Sullivan's carpeted living room floor, imagining my crushed, broken heart smashed all over it.

"It doesn't make sense, Clark. Why would she be so madly in love with you and just…abandon everything for the one guy she was trying to escape from?"

I shrugged with disinterested. "I don't know. But it was pretty obviously today that it's what she wanted to do, so…I think I'm gonna get back to Met U now."

"What?"

I stood up from the couch, running a hand through my hair and making my way to the front door. "I really have to work on my thesis. The due day's coming up. And I should probably go and tell Lex what happened..."

"What the hell, Clark?!" Chloe leaped in front of me, using her body to block the door. "This girl is practically your soulmate! Do you realize how damn lucky you two are?"

"How lucky we _were_."

"No! There is something seriously wrong with Lana. Plus, the girl knows your secret for God's sake! You can't just let her walk out of your life without even knowing if she's okay with it! This isn't over, Clark. It's very far from over. You can't just go back to school and pretend like nothing happened!"

"Maybe I don't want to put myself through this again, okay?" I splat, hardly comprehending what I was saying before I said it. "I can't stand to see Lana that happy with someone who isn't me. I don't even care if she tells the whole world my secret! If I can't share my life what that girl, then I don't care what happens to me."

"You're just saying that because you're heartbroken, Clark. You don't mean that. You're not thinking straight," Chloe said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Move, Chloe."

"No."

"Move!" I grabbed my friend by the shoulders shoved her to the side. I then opened the door and bolted through it, not knowing and not caring where I went next.

………

And while I was off, in my own sad, strange little world, Chloe was still at home with more determination than ever. She absolutely would not believe what I'd said was true, I thank her almost every time I see her for that. She spent the better part of that night on the phone with Pete and Lex, filling them in the drastic change in Lana.

After many hours of research (and some illegal hacking by Chloe), Lex found his way to LuthorCorp headquarters, a bright smile beaming on his face as he strutted towards his father's office.

The crash of the doors caused Lionel to look up from the various papers he had lining his expensive, glass desk. He squinted for a moment at his unwanted visitor, and then pulled his small, spectacles from the bridge of his nose in mild shock.

"Lex?"

"Hey, dad. I know how much you've missed me, so I thought I'd drop by and see how things are going." Lex collapsed in a large, squashy blue chair in front of his father, still grinning.

"I must admit this is an extremely surprising visit, my son. I'm kind of in the middle of some important – "

"Perry King."

Lionel stopped, staring at Lex in confusion. "What?"

"I said Perry King. Perry King, Richard Albright, and Bonnie Lenz. These names mean anything to you, dad?"

Lionel hesitated for only a moment as he thought. He then shook his head. "No…no, I can't say that I do. Friends of yours?"

"No, I never met any of them. They all died before my time." Lex stood and casually walked to the large windows of the office revealing the wide nighttime skyline of Metropolis as he continued. "Let me tell you a story, dad."

Lionel leaning back in his chair, hands resting on his stomach, not at all knowing that his son was about to bring up a very old and deadly secret. "Alright."

"See, there was this guy who loved this girl a long time ago. But she didn't love him. Didn't even like him. She turned him down countless times, but he never gave up. Eventually, the girl found a boyfriend, a big guy, who defended her whenever the other guy got near. This made the guy angry. He wanted to have that girl to himself. So he followed them to the movies one night and while the girl's boyfriend was getting a drink, he reached out and tried to kiss her. The girl slapped him right across the face and told him that he was a freak.

"A couple of years went by and the guy's anger towards this girl grew. He figured if he couldn't have her, no one would. He tracked down where she lived after they graduated high school. She stayed in a dorm with some friends. At about midnight, he climbed his way up the side of the building and planned a bomb in the corner of the one of the floors. He left the building and within the next hour, a fourth of it was completely gone, including over 100 students. Among the victims were Perry King, Richard Albright, Bonnie Lenz…and…this girl who you might know…Hannah Potter?"

Lex turned to see his father's reaction to the story. To the average person, he seemed poised and unaffected, but to Lex, his own blood, it was obvious he'd hit a nerve.

"I'm afraid I don't know who – "

"Hannah Potter. Nell Potter's aunt. Lana Lang's great aunt. I'm sure you know Lana right?"

"Well, yes, of course. She's Whitney's wife – "

"And Hannah was the one you wanted to have as a wife, but she said no more times than anyone could count. All through high school you practically stalked her in the hallways, asked her to every dance…you never took a hint, did you?"

Lionel stood, a little quicker than an innocent man would have. "If you're trying to accuse me of killing those students – "

"What? What if I was?"

"You'd be gravely mistaken."

Lex smirked. "Don't think I wouldn't come in here and accuse you of something like this without proof. It took some digging, but I've got evidence."

Lionel folded his arms, laughing a little. "I haven't done anything that would create evidence, Lex. You don't know what you're doing."

"I found Hannah's boyfriend. He told me about all the threatening notes you sent him and how Hannah came to him so many nights, crying because she thought he heard you outside her window. I also found pieces of unsuccessful bombs in the room in the mansion you had as a kid. And I found journals of your notes from college courses and and books from the library on the effects of different bombs. Want me to go on?"

"You're lying."

"No, no I'm not, dad." Lex rushed over to his father, looking him square in the eye. "Looks like you can pay people to shut up, but if you dangle another carrot in front of them they're just as likely to go babbling those secrets again."

Lionel remained silent, watching his son carefully.

"You knew Lana was a descendant of your precious Hannah and you knew Whitney was falling for her like you fell for Hannah. Trouble was, Lana had too much of her great aunt in her – she didn't care for Whitney either. Only now, you had the power to alter her perceptions and give the spoiled child what he wanted. And I'm sure that in some sick way you actually thought that doing this would make up for the stupidity you did as a kid yourself."

"Lex…" Lionel began, his voice somewhat strained as I moved in closer to his son. "Look, I really didn't want this to happen, especially to you, but…" The gleem of reflected metal caught Lex's eye and he looked down to see a small revolver in his father's hands, aiming straight at Lex's stomach, "…when you dig up the past, sometimes it just makes things messy."

"Come on, dad. You're gonna shoot me to shut me up? I'm your son," Lex reminded, backing anyway a little from his now armed father.

"Biologically, yes, but no son of mine would do this to me."

"Find the truth?"

"Threaten to destroy my life! And your brother's life."

"Whitney and Lana don't belong together, dad. And you can't possibly think that what you did in college was alright. You can't get away with something like that."

"A family is suppose to protect itself."

"You never wanted me as son in the first place. Don't pretend like you care for me now."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe that's why I'm finding it not so difficult to hold this gun," Lionel admitted, lifting the gun higher until it pointed directly at Lex's head.

"You're nothing but a cold-blooded murderer," Lex whispered, his vision clouding from tears.

"I killed Hannah because she deserved to die. And now…well…I'm afraid you do too."

But before Lionel could end another life, a throng of police exploded through the doors, grabbing Lionel and ripping the gun from his grip before he could shoot it. As they cuffed him and read him his rights, Lex pulled a small, microphone chip from his collar, looking at it with sadness.

Everything recorded through this small device was guaranteed to put his father behind bars for a while. He was responsible for his own father's downfall…his father…the cold-blooded murderer…

It felt so victorious, but also so depressing to the man who always wanted just one thing from his father, but now he knew he'd never get it. Because how could you truly feel love for someone, if you were willing to put a bullet in them to protect yourself?


	23. Chapter 22

In the week that followed, the press feasted hungrily on the trials and convictions of Lionel Luthor. He was given a good long amount of time to think about his twisted life, and in the mean time, his next of kin, Lex Luthor, took over Luthor Corp. completely – something that had been a dream of Lex's since the first time I'd met him.

Dean called minutes after the trial, informing me of the celebration party he was going to host the club that Friday. I asked him how Lana was, and he told me hadn't heard from her. The last he'd seen her was next to Whitney in the courthouse.

That bit of information probably scared me more than it should have. After that I couldn't stop wondering if Lana was seriously considering staying with Whitney. She hadn't even contacted me yet. True, she might not have access to a phone or she might want to clear out of the Luthor mansion first so she didn't have to go back and face what she'd done again…but just the mere idea of allowing my friends to sacrifice so much for me…and then have it be for nothing…it hurt too much inside.

That night I especially did a lot of deep, emotion thinking. Unfortunately, the trial had ended the day before my thesis was due, and I simply didn't have the energy to do much more than stare at the monitor. Who cared if the main idea stayed constant throughout the 10+ pages, or the transitions remained clear and smooth? Just gazing at all those words reminded me of the life I use to lead…where academics were everything. Every word was chosen with care and placed in its respective spot on the page. That was back when I had no one clouding my mind with daydreams of moving back to Smallville…taking over the farm…and raising a family with the most amazing girl in the world.

I couldn't even remember how I'd gotten through each day without Lana. Where had I found the strength to get up in the morning? How did I convince myself that this thesis – a bunch of random words and letters - was more important than love? And now that I knew what love could truly offer…how was I ever suppose to go back to the way things use to be? How was I suppose to forget Lana Lang?

I sighed, realizing I probably wouldn't have a choice in the matter if Lana did not want me in her life anymore.

I _had_ to finish proof reading this paper and it _had_ to be turned in later that morning. I guess it made more sense that I live the rest of my life alone anyway, with only a few memories of what life is really suppose to feel like. Maybe that's all Lana was for – to show me what could never truly be mine.

Then I heard it. A soft, angelic knock on the doorframe of the room. I could see the silhouette of my visitor in the reflection of the screen. A small figure, leaning against the doorway, patiently waiting for me to turn around.

I took a deep breath and swallowed my leaping heart back into place.

And then I turned. And I saw her.

I don't remember if I said her name, or said anything at all that had even been audible. I do remember my heart pumping fast out of the irrational fear that she was going to, at any second, disappear into thin air, just as mysteriously as she appeared.

But instead, she dashed from the doorway and collapsed into my lap, a thigh on either side of mine, pinning me down as her arms squeezed around my neck affectionately. It was a good millisecond before my own arms wrapped tightly around her tiny frame and my face buried itself in her shoulder, taking in the sweet, feminine scent that was uniquely Lana Lang…the very scent I almost thought I'd never be privileged to smell ever again…

"It's all over….I'm so sorry, Clark…" She whispered into my ear, tears spilling from both of our eyes.

"No, I'm sorry…I knew you never stopped loving me. I should have done whatever it took to – "

"No, no," she protested, sitting up a little to look into my eyes, "Clark, you did exactly what I wanted you to do."

I sighed, not being able to handle it anymore and blurted out the question I'd been asking myself a thousand times. "Why did you leave me?"

She tried to smile, putting her hands on either side of my face, but her smile only succeeded in squeezing out a few more tears from her watery eyes. "I didn't want to leave you…but Whitney found me…told me to come with him…and I tried to fight, but after a while…" She sighed, looking down. "…I felt so helpless…and making that call to you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do…but I did my best to make you hate me so that you wouldn't try to attack Whitney because…he told me he knew you were different…and he didn't know how, but I think he found out about his class ring…and I didn't want you to reveal your secret to protect me and have him find out the truth…I just…" She closed her eyes for a moment, pausing to catch her breath again. "…I wanted to keep you safe so I went along with everything…and I figured maybe Lex and the others would have a better chance of finding information if Whitney and Lionel thought that you didn't care anymore…" She sniffed a little and fought back a few more tears as her eyes found mine again. "…and just hope you can see that I never stopped loving you for a second, Clark. I see why you were so afraid of what would happen if I knew your secret…but honestly Clark, I think knowing your secret makes me love you more. And I'm so very sorry if I made you think I didn't love you as much as I do."

As I watched her explaining herself to me, I couldn't help but feel my insides heat up with embarrassment for trying to convince my heart that this girl didn't care for me anymore. Hot tears streamed down my reddened face, watching Lana pick up my broken heart with her words and mend it together with the utmost love and care. She almost sacrificed her future for me, and my secret. I had no idea this girl had so much determination and strength or that I could ever be lucky enough to have her stand up to protect me.

"It's okay…it's okay, Lana…" I whispered, trying to say it louder the second time, although my voice was very rasping from all the crying. "I tried to tell myself so many times that I shouldn't love you anymore, but…I never believed it. Not once. I never gave up on us. And I never will."

With that promise, Lana let a fresh pool of tears trickle down her cheeks and dropped her head onto my shaking shoulder.

We were both so unstable and so shaken, but when we were together, holding each other, everything balanced out. Whatever fears one had, the other one would cast them away. And all the empty space in the one's heart would be amply filled by the other. Every bit of ourselves was connected perfectly somehow.

And as soon as I realized this, I suddenly had what I can only describe as a brilliant epiphany.

"Lana?"

"Yes?"

I pulled her away from me in order to see her face, and I remember thinking that as tired and tear-streaked as it was, I still saw the beauty that was Lana Lang. "These past few days I've been thinking a lot about you…and about us. Being without you made me see how much of an impact you made on my life in just a short amount of time. I realized that before you I was never really living…I was just this…shell…this empty shell going through the motions…and then you brought me to life."

Lana grasped my nervous hands in her own and smiled brightly. "I know exactly how you feel, Clark."

"That's really good, because…" My breath caught in my throat, so I took another gulp of air and tried again. "…because…I really want to marry you."

Her smile suddenly dropped, as did her jaw. "What?"

"I know…a dirty dorm room isn't very romantic…and I don't have a ring to give you yet, but…" I gently pushed Lana off of my lap in order to get down on one knee, praying that I didn't fall over or pass out from nervousness, "…Lana, I love you. Will you marry me?"

"Oh…oh my…" She whispered in total shock. I could feel her tiny hands shaking in mine. "Yes! Yes, I will marry you, Clark! Oh my God! Yesyesyes!"

I couldn't stop laughing as my newly-established fiancé kneeled down as well, attacking my entire face with kisses and giving me a giant bear-hug that I'm sure would've crushed the collar bone of any normal person.

"Don't we…have to...do something about…your marriage to Whitney though?" I asked in between happy pecks on my lips.

"It's already been annulled! That's why I was so late coming here to see you. Oh my God!" And to my surprise Lana leaped up from the floor, and burst out into the hallway. "I'M ENGAGED TO CLARK KENT!"

I heard a few muffled whistles and claps as Lana giggled and then came barreling back into the room, collapsing on my bed.

I heartily welcomed the huge grin plastering my face as I closed the door to my room and then made my way over to the bed. "You might want to calm down a little. You're acting like a five-year-old at Disney World."

"I have a right to act like this! We're getting marrieeed!! You can't tell me you're not even a little bit ecstatic!"

"Well, of course – "

"Clark, there's absolutely nothing in our way," Lana interrupted, kneeling on the bed, gazing at me with the brightest, dazzling hazel eyes I've ever seen. "We're finally free. Together forever."

Lana's words settled into my mind in way that wanted me to pick her up and whisk her away to some remote island to get married right then. But I refrained. I knew planning a wedding was just a fun and important for her as the actual wedding itself. Lana deserved a beautiful gown and flowers and a day that was filled with nothing but pure, sweet love.

Just then, the room down the hall, which normally blasted out the punkiest of metal rock, cut off a Blink182 song in mid-chorus to replace it with 'Come What May'. Nicole Kidman's voice vibrated through the walls, teamed surprisingly with Andy who shouted, "This ones for Clark and that smokin' hot fiancé he's got! YOU GO, CLARKIEE!!"

I blushed and joined Lana in another laugh. I didn't know many of the words, but I held my hand out to Lana who took it and then moved in for a sweet slow dance to the song.

"Come what may…coOOoome what maaaAAAaay…" I sang, trying to match Ewan McGregor's heart-felt strength in the words and smiling at Lana's giggle.

"I will love you…until my dyyyingggg daaaay…" Lana whispered in her perfectly tuned voice.

"Me too," I added, leaning my head on hers as we swayed. "Have you ever seen that movie? Moulin Rouge?"

"Uh-uh. Is that where this song came from?"

"Yeah," I retorted, pausing before I added, "…we should watch it some time. I think you'd really like it."

"We can watch it on our honeymoon," Lana concluded with a chuckle.

My heart leaped again. A honeymoon hadn't even registered in my mind yet. And, it was actually making me feel more nervous than happy. "Uh…Lana…about a honeymoon…"

"What?" she stopped swaying and looked up into my eyes with concern. "You think we could afford one, right? It wouldn't have to be some big, elaborate thing or anything…"

"No, I'm sure we could get one just fine, but…" I sighed. Embarrassing conversations never cease when you're Clark Kent, "…I still don't know if I can…do…what couples normally do…on our honeymoon."

It took a moment, but Lana finally smiled understandingly. "Clark…"

"I'm serious, Lana. In every situation I've been in so far I've been able to control myself, but…I honestly don't know what would happen if…if I…" I sighed, covering my face with my hands. "This is so incredibly awkward."

"Just calm down. It's not like we're about to do it right now." Lana giggled, pulling my hands from my beet-red face. "I think you're overreacting. If I must say so…I think your powers will enhance the experience rather than destroy it."

I looked up at my bride-to-be, my brows furrowed in confusion. "Enhance?"

"Yes. Sure, I'm scared about it too, but that's not gonna stop me from trying." She tugged on my arms, causing me to lean down until our foreheads were touching and our noses were just centimeters away from each other. "I want to show you how much you mean to me. And I want to give you a part of me…and have that part of you."

Somehow, her hopeful words began to outweigh the scary premonitions in my head until the only thing on my mind was the current moment.

"Now, I don't want us to talk about it anymore, ok? Putting too many words to it could ruin the experience. And I want you to be surprised."

"Already know it's the best surprise I'm ever going to get."


	24. Chapter 23

No, **Clana-Lover4Life!**, she didn't sleep with Whitney. I now realize I didn't elaborate on that very much, but she was saved from the marriage before that happened. Don't worry! lol

I'm not sure when I'll be writing another Smallville fic again. I'm currently into Doctor Who right now (I highly recommend watching it…it definitely rivals Smallville as my favorite show), but who knows. I might get inspired by Smallville again one day.

Anyway, here it is – the last chapter. I can't thank you all enough for your awesome reviews! I really enjoyed writing it, so I hoped you enjoyed reading it! Thank you again!

* * *

November 27th of the following year, Lana Lang officially became Mrs. Lana Kent. 

We held the ceremony in the small orchard on the edge of my parents' farm. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Sweet, warm autumn weather and the natural décor of flushy reds and oranges from the surrounding leaves made it feel like we were getting married in a postcard picture. It was perfection.

The wedding day is probably only the third best day of my life, though. Second obviously occurred on our honeymoon. We decided to room in a small, secluded cabin built in the company of a forest of evergreens and positioned close to the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

For 14 days, it was just Lana and me. We spent a lot of days wandering the sandy shoreline, sometimes chasing birds…and sometimes chasing each other. We had a few water fights too. I remember one day I put a hammock in between a two of the mammoth-size trees and Lana and I just laid there all day…talking, laughing, and watching the sun as it seeped into the endless blue water.

The nights were probably my favorite though. The first night we truly spent together – in each other's arms, bonded together by love – I honestly don't know how to describe it. Maybe it's not suppose to be able to be described sufficiently. It's just too powerful of a feeling. But it was very intense, powerful moment for both of us. After we'd first made love, I remember the first thing I heard was Lana's laughter.

"Looks like we have nothing to worry about, as far as your abilities are concerned," she admitted brightly, snuggling into my chest.

"You have no idea how happy I am to know that, Lana." I sighed deeply, trying to get my breath back. "I feel so stupid…all those years thinking this was impossible…"

"And now here we are."

I exhaled with a smile, looking down into her eyes. The bedroom was dimly lit by a few candles…just enough to still be able to see her beautiful face.

"This must be what it feels like to win an Olympic gold medal or climb Mount Everest or something. I can't even think of anything but happy thoughts. And I can't stop smiling," I said, beginning to laugh for no reason.

"Mmm…I know what you mean…" I felt her kiss my shoulder and then my neck. And then I felt her arm reach down by her waist to grab my left hand. We both watched as her fingers danced around the gold band just recently added to my ring finger. With a tired voice, she whispered the words engraved on the ring. "C & L. Together forever."

I felt my heart race a little faster and extinctively squeezed Lana a little tighter and nodded. "Together forever."

She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes dreamily, resting her head directly over my heart.

I ran my hand along her smooth, exposed back and then into her locks of deep brunette curls, pulling a few strands away from her face. I kissed her head and felt my own body guiding me to sleep.

And before the feeling engulfed me completely I exclaimed quietly, yet triumphantly into the candlelit room, "I love you, Lana Elizabeth Kent."

After the extremely pleasurable and memorable honeymoon, we returned to Smallville to live on the farm with my parents. The years that passed were probably filled with troubles as most years are, but I truly can't remember any of them. I can only remember the good – no, the_ great_ – things that happened.

My father offered to help build a smaller, guest house on the property for him and my mother to live in. He insisted that Lana and I deserved more privacy, and the extra room.

And, sure enough, my dad was right. The extra room was especially needed for what arrived on the very best day of my life.

My daughter.

There wasn't a dry eye in the hospital room that day. Just watching my wife holding our baby girl was enough to push me over the edge. But then when she actually handed her over to me, and when I felt that little being wriggle around and kick and smile and laugh…I'd never been so overjoyed over something so small and seemly insignificant to the rest of the world.

"I can't believe this is real, Lana…" I whispered, gently swaying my daughter in my arms, watching her brilliant blue eyes rolling around to see everything for the first time. "She's really ours…God, she's _beautiful_…"

After a few moments, I handed her back to her mother and wrapped an arm around Lana's shaking, tired form, kissing her temple sweetly. "You did great, Lana."

Lana danced her fingers in front of the girl's face until she grasped onto one with a tiny, unsure grip. Lana laughed a little. "Wonder if she has any of your 'special juice' in her."

I laughed as well, but the more I thought about it, the more my smile faded. "One thing's for certain though - if she does end up like me, she won't be alone. Not like I was. She'll know she's different, but she'll know it's ok. I'll make sure of it."

Lana nodded and looked up at me sincerely. "And we'll tell her our story one day, so she can see how important it is to love and to be loved."

My smile stretched out again and I decided to change the subject to something I'd been thinking about for months. "So, the moment of truth – what's her name?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it," Lana began looking back down at our child. "and I really like Lilly."

"Lilly…Lilly's good. I like it." I bent down a little, gazing into my daughter's eyes. "Hi, Lilly. You like Lilly? Is that a good name?"

And suddenly, Lilly bursted into laughter (whether it was because of her name or my giant face so close to hers I guess we'll never know). Both Lana and I joined her happily.

"But what about a middle name. I haven't really thought about it that much," Lana wondered curiously.

After a moment of thought, my eyes lit up. "Hey, I got it. I'm Clark, and you're Lana. So her middle name could be Clana!"

"Clana? Seriously?"

"What?"

"Clark, nobody does that. If they did, your middle name would be…Marnathan."

I shrugged. "I kinda like Marnathan, too."

"Oh my God, Clark. I really hope your joking," Lana said before giggling at the thought of Lilly Marnathan Kent.

"Alright, alright. What about…Clara?" I looked at Lana hopefully. "That's cute, right? And it still incorporates my brilliant idea."

And to my great happiness, Lana's face beamed in satisfaction. "That's actually really pretty."

I grinned heartily and then lowered my lips, kissing my daughter - Lilly Clara Kent - on the forehead for the very first time.

"Welcome to the world, Lilly. I'm Clark – your dad. And that's you mom – Lana – holding you," I explained slowly and brightly, loving the way her big eyes bounced back and forth in between our faces, as though she was really trying to decipher what I was saying.

"And we both love you more than you'll ever know," Lana added, gently stroking Lilly's cheek with her finger. She began humming a few lines of 'Come What May' until the nurse came in and informed us that it was time for Lilly to be placed in the nursery.

And it was as though that little girl had been the only source of energy for Lana because as soon as the nurse left with our baby, Lana practically collapsed onto my shoulder, completely drained.

As I leaned my head down to rest on top of hers and as I listened to the soft beeping of the machines surrounding us I couldn't help but realize how truly blessed I was. How much love had impacted every moment of my life now. How natural it felt when I held or kissed Lana or reminded her how much I loved her. None of it was automatic or forced to keep the flame burning.

It had been years since that night at the club, but I still remember the feelings she brought out in me – that she still brought out in me. I could still remember the jealousy that filled my heart when I learned about Whitney. And I could still remember the pain of my heart breaking when I thought Lana didn't love me anymore.

It was all still there, and so real. And it was there, in that hospital room, I realized that I had to write all those feelings down and record our whole story. So that one day, when we are both old and gray and waiting for something to take us into a different life, we can go back and remember where we came from and how very thankful we are for everything that happened and for what each of us was willing to sacrifice in order to protect what mattered most.

The irony never ceases to amuse me – all I'd wanted until my 21st birthday was to be normal, but our life was, is, and never will be normal by any means. It's so full of trials and success and love. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

So there it is. The story of Clark and Lana Kent. And if it perhaps inspired one boy to find the courage to ask a girl out or a girl go to a party she'd shied away from because she was too scared to take a risk, well then I think this story has served its purpose. And, who knows, maybe that boy and that girl will grow old together and continue the love that everyone – every single living thing – deserves to feel.

Life is a book. And now it's your turn to write the story.

THE END


End file.
